


Vengeance

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Birth of a Dragon [10]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Artificial Intelligence, Grief/Mourning, Healing, Multi, Pack Dynamics, Past Abuse, Revenge, hostile takeover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-03-06 20:43:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 59,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18858745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: As they travel to LA to open the first Ghost Shelter Takeshi and his loved ones find that there are still enemies hidden out there as they are attacked and an innocent life is lost, but as Takeshi's instincts struggle with the event he find himself caring even more for his chosen family.At the same time those instincts cry for vengeance.





	1. The Shadow Awakens

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

 “Come on girls. I would like to be able to start moving out before lunch please.”  
Trying to get all of the girls to the Tiamat in a timely fashion made Takeshi feel like he was herding cats, it was utter and total chaos.  
“Carol, you don't need that much clothes, we are only staying a few days.”  
Takeshi quickly turned Carol back to her room when he spotted her dragging two large suitcases on top of the huge trekking backpack on her back.  
“But...”  
“No. One set of formal wear, two bathing suits and four clean changes is plenty enough.”  
“But...”  
Carol was whining and her snake familiar hissed, agitated by the sharp flare of Takeshi's aura in response.  
“No!”  
The whining was cut of by the sharp tone and slight growl.  
If he allowed it she would end up bringing all her clothes along, and it would be a bit of a tight fit as it was.

The Tiamat was a fairly large yacht, but it was still a puzzle to fit everyone that was going.  
He and Emelie would be taking the owner's deck as usual, Jenna and the twins would take the VIP cabin across from the galley while Knight would take the Captain's cabin next to it, leaving four large double cabins and a few tiny crew cabins.  
That's where the puzzle began, Kasumi and Amber would take one of the double cabins, leaving eight girls fighting over three cabins since none of them wanted to sleep in the smaller crew cabins down in the demi-hulls.

“Lissa, Manda. You can't have a large double cabin to yourself, either you share with someone, or you take one of the crew cabins. That's final.”  
Melissa and Amanda didn't want to share with anyone and in the end Takeshi gave them an ultimatum, either they share one of the larger double cabins, or they take one of the crew cabins.  
“Fine...”  
“Okay...”  
Much to his relief they agreed that they rather have one of the smaller double crew cabins than having to share, and Diane and Julia were willing to share cabin.  
Carol and Amy would take the third cabin and Alice and Anne would share the fourth one, leaving Melissa and Amanda to freely choose from the crew cabins.  
Takeshi sighed and added _Get a bigger boat_ to his mental to do list.

Their goal was Los Angeles and the opening of the first orphanage specifically aimed to ghost children.  
It had taken quite a bit of string pulling, as well as liberal use of Angel's developing ability to sneak into pretty much any computer-system with a network connection, firewalls and other security measures barely slowed her down anymore, but he had managed to complete the first orphanage in just under eight months.

“Angel, ready to take us out of the lagoon?”  
“Are you sure? Last time I almost ran us aground.”  
“Don't worry, we have upgraded the docking thrusters and sensors since then, and you have a full complement of sensor drones as well.”  
The previous attempt at having Angel move the Tiamat out of the lagoon had ended in a bit of a stir as they almost ran into one of the shallow reefs, nothing had actually happened, but Angel had been downright distraught at the near accident.  
Going through the data they found that the maneuvering thrusters simply were not responsive enough for Angel and the AI had not been able to adapt fast enough to the inferior controls.  
In response to the flaw Takeshi had redesigned the jet thrusters with additional nozzles and individual control circuits for each nozzle which should make them responsive enough for Angel to use them at full capacity.

“See, I told you you would be fine.”  
As they cleared the lagoon and slowly moved into the deeper water Takeshi gave the drone hovering at his shoulder a habitual tap which made it flash, and bump his shoulder in return.  
“Could you confirm satellite linkup and put the data up on display for me please.”  
“Of course.”  
Once the data was up on the displays he had Angel assist him with plotting a suitable course to take them to LA.  
“She's all yours Angel.”  
“Thank you Take-san.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi checked his watch again and was getting increasingly agitated, upon their arrival in LA they had been met by a coast-guard vessel demanding that they detour to the customs dock to be searched for contraband and the slow work was putting Takeshi on edge.  
This evening was the grand opening, complete with a big charity event with ridiculously overpriced food, a lot of fading celebrities looking for a quick PR boost, local politicians and all rounded up with the customary ribbon-cutting that Kasumi would be taking care of together with Amber.  
The opening event started at 20:00, they had arrived in LA just before 09:00 and it was now past 15:00 and the customs officers were working painfully slow, they needed to be at location and ready in under 4 hours.

A loud shriek interrupted his mental perusal of their itinerary, it would seem the female customs officer that was checking the girls didn't appreciate Amber's familiar, he didn't blame her though, even the smaller species of centipede was enough to give a lot of people nightmares, a well sized specimen of the giant centipede _Scolopendra gigantea_ growing to about 30cm could give most people nightmares.  
Amber's familiar was quite bit larger, as long as his lower arm, from the outside of the elbow to the tip of his fingers and that was not counting the long antennae or the long tail like terminal legs, which in this case took their appearance from the _Alipes_ genus, making them look like a pair of feathers, or wings.  
Takeshi found the creature to be quite beautiful though, each segment of its body a deep black obsidian broken up by thin bands and small spots of red, yellow and orange, the legs were bright yellow with a hint of orange while the antennae and feathery terminal legs were deep red, tinged with an almost purple hue.  
Amber absolutely adored the thing and the other girls just regarded it as a familiar, it's form not important as they knew that a familiar would never hurt them.

Amusement flashed through his aura when he watched Amber take out her exotic animal permit and the _passport_ for her familiar, all the familiars had all the proper documentation including a RFID chip.  
They could of course just play the part of a piece of jewelry but that came with its own drawbacks and the girls loved playing and chatting with their familiars, and that became a bit of a hassle if they were in the form of a bracelet or some other jewelry.  
And Amber was still having problems making her familiar smaller so she still had to use the belt method.  
Takeshi watched the two female officers struggle to check and register the large insect before moving on to the twins, their relief radiating from them when their _pets_ were just pretty little birds.  
They were fine with Melissa's parrot and Amanda's moth, the pincers of Alice's and Anne's crabs had them worried again and one of them backed away slightly when it was time for Diane's lizard and when it was time for Carol and Amy their snakes caused another round of shrieks and complaints about how much they hated their job sometimes.

The small tickle of energy against his wrist told him it was now 16:00 and the customs officers that were searching the Tiamat didn't seem to have any plans to release the vessel any time soon.  
“Okay, that's enough!”  
Takeshi stepped up to the officer in charge with a barely restrained snarl, the search was moving ridiculously slow and Takeshi had just about had it, they were either incompetent, or intentionally slow, both equally infuriating.  
The officer froze and turned on Takeshi, pulling himself straight, squaring his shoulders and trying to level the standard _I'm in charge here!_ glare on Takeshi, but as much as the man tried he was smaller, weaker, and didn't have the feel of an _alpha_ so Takeshi couldn't care less about his attempt at intimidation and dominance.

“We don't have time to stay here all day. Quarantine her or keep searching, I don't care, but you will clear us so we can move on.”  
There was a pleased shift in the officer's aura that told Takeshi that he had been waiting for that, it would seem the slow work was intentional to make them leave the Tiamat in their hands, something Takeshi did not like.  
“I wouldn't try anything, my surveillance people are **very** good. There is no part of the Tiamat that is not under surveillance.”  
Takeshi completely suffocated the officer's aura with his own, pouring enough power and intent into it for even the most insensitive to feel uneasy.  
Takeshi could tell though that the officer doubted his words so he opted for little demonstration.  
“Angel, would you give me the location and status of all individuals within the Tiamat surveillance zone please.”  
He didn't bother raising his voice, he knew the sensors they had installed in the Tiamat were sensitive enough.  
“Acknowledged.”  
She instantly began to list the exact location of each customs officer as well as a brief report on what they were doing.  
“Everything is recorded , of course.”  
“Of course...”  
Takeshi couldn't resist a smug grin at the annoyance surging through the aura of the officer in charge.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Mr Kiryu! Have you met my daughter?””  
Takeshi was once again reminded why he hated large social gatherings when one of the local politicians came over to him with his daughter in tow to _introduce_ her and Takeshi was struggling against an urge to ask what her hourly fee was.  
He was glad the twins were off with Emelie at the moment though, they had asked one of the up and coming celebrities that had been trying to hit on him if she was a hooker, and they did it with a perfectly straight and innocent face, though their auras were practically screaming in impish delight.  
While it would have given him quite a good laugh it would be a bit counterproductive to piss of the local politicians.  
Unfortunately they would need political connections to make plans for the future, to be able to make sure that the Jacaranda Estate stayed under their control, to make sure all their assets remained in their control.  
Heirs could only be faked for so long, Takeshi wasn't even sure it would work once with the way security systems was developing, and he did not want to transfer control of their assets to someone else.

“Mr. Kiryu!”  
Takeshi struggled to suppress a deep sigh as yet another politician elbowed his way over to him and Amanda to introduce his wife and daughters and he could feel a cold anger shift through Amanda's aura when the fat old man didn't acknowledge her and instead just brushed her aside and tried to push one of his daughters to Takeshi's side.  
Luckily none of the normal guests were able to hear Takeshi's subsonic growl as the blatant disrespect toward someone he considered pack tore at his instincts, he was sure that if Amanda had actually been marked as pack he wouldn't have been able to suppress the instinct to lash out and defend her.  
As it was now though he was able to keep himself from acting out and instead just wrap his aura around Amanda to support her, to let her feel his disapproval of the situation.  
_“Easy Manda. I know he's an asshole but we are going to need a way into the politics so just hang in there, okay sweetie?”  
“It's okay, I know.”  
_

There was a long pause as they listened to the politician telling them about how amazing his daughter was, bragging about her grades and honors from her expensive school.  
Thought neither Takeshi nor Amanda considered the young woman to be particularly bright, her aura carried a distinct dullness, the colors faded and Takeshi knew from experience that it was a sign that the person was somewhat, _mentally lacking_.  
The aura of a highly intelligent person carried a sharpness that reflected the sharpness of their minds, the colors brighter. _  
“Can I please just scratch him a bit, give them a nice scare? No one will ever know what caused it...”_  
As tempted as Takeshi was to tell her to go ahead such a thing would disrupt the charity event and he needed it to be perfect.  
_“Sorry sweetie, maybe next time.”  
“Is that a promise?”  
“It's a maybe.”_

When they were finally left alone again Amanda pressed closely into his side, seeking comfort and he could feel the last of his hesitance crumble away and he pulled her closer and placed a kiss on her forehead.  
“When we return to the island, how about you and me take one of the boats and head out on our own for a while?”  
When she looked up her eyes were wide with surprise and her question was clearly written in both her face and aura.  
He answered he unspoken question with a simple _Yes_ and a small kiss at the corner of her mouth.

Much to Takeshi's relief things went smoothly most of the evening, the only incident had been dinner.  
As usual the girls gave their familiars treats from the table, and while the creatures didn't actually need to eat they always enjoyed the treats.  
No one minded when the twins mixed some water and honey in a bowl for their hummingbirds and most seemed amused by watching Melissa's parrot like bird say its _Thank you_ every time she gave it a piece of fruit.  
The crabs were pretty okay though the odd choice of pets did cause a few raised eyebrows even the lizards seemed okay, but Carol and Amy's snakes caused a bit of a stir when the girls offered them pieces from the plate of sashimi in front of them.  
But when Amber took a piece of the raw meat and waved it at the edge of the table and the giant centipede skittered up from under the table to enjoy it's treat the reaction was pretty strong, several of those seated nearby scrambling away from their seats, screaming.  
For a while Takeshi had been tempted to ask Amber if he could borrow it for the rest of the evening as it seemed **very** effective at keeping all the women at bay, but unfortunately he had to be all mature about things.

Thankfully they were able to use the girls as an excuse to leave the gala early as it was set to continue well past midnight.  
“I'm terribly sorry, but they girls have had a really long day so we need to get them back to the hotel.”  
“Aw, such a shame Mr Kiryu.”  
It was taking more and more effort for Takeshi to play the sociable host as several of the women kept shamelessly hitting on him.  
He didn't really mind the attention as such, most of them were good looking, but he disapproved of the way they were hitting on him despite him and Emelie having been introduced as a couple, even wearing matching rings.  
He couldn't stand people trying to break into what they believed to be a monogamous relationship.  
The Beast within though was furious that what it considered to be inferior females believed themselves to be worthy to replace Emelie, their chosen co-alpha, who the Beast totally adored.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The day after the charity was spent relaxing at the hotel, though Takeshi didn't get much time to relax, he had to go over all the financial data from the event.  
Thankfully Angel was a great assistant in such matters, in less time than it took him to ask the AI had composed and sent out personalized thank you letters to every single donor whose contact information was available, there would also be ads in newspapers, on TV and on several major social media platforms thanking everyone for their contributions.  
She was also a great help in sorting the data and the holographic display made it much easier for him to manage it, he had been working on making a portable computer that was powerful enough to run the AI, complete with a projector and advanced sensors.  
He had worked a lot with Angel over the past few months and he found himself liking the feeling of working with the holograms surrounding him, he only wished he could find a way to make the AI able to detect his aura, and maybe make the holograms detectable by him.  
If he could just solve that he should be able to work displays without actually seeing them as long as they were within range of his aura.

With the charity event done it was time for the girls favorite pastime, shopping, and while they had a blast Takeshi and Knight were slightly less amused.  
_“Lets just face it, females are insane.”_  
The transmitted thought carried a clear humor along with what could only be a head-shake.  
_“Indeed they are Logan, just never let them hear you say that.”  
“I like having all my parts attached, thank you very much.”_  
“Uncle Logan!”

The silent conversation was interrupted by Julia who ran over to Knight to show him the small sword charm she had bought from one of the stalls along the street.  
“Look! It looks just like yours.”  
Knight turned the charm over in his hand and he had to admit it did look very much like his sword, only the demonic runes were missing.  
“It does, a nice find.”  
Knight quickly helped her secure the charm to the bracelet she was wearing.  
“Okay girls, gather up. Time for lunch.”  
There were some mixed responses but they did gather up and a few minutes later they had picked a nearby restaurant that promised an _All you can eat_ buffet.  
An hour, and quite a few crooked looks, later they headed to one of the local parks to relax for a bit before returning to shopping.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Tag, you're it!”  
Takeshi flexed his claws slightly as he expanded his senses to pick up the girls running around the small copse of trees to pick up his target, the retreating laughter told him that Amy, who had tagged him, was running off to his right.  
“Ready or not, here I come.”  
He carefully made sure the blindfold was secure before moving toward Diane who he could hear trying to muffle her laughter close by to his left.  
The girls had insisted he wear a blindfold and headphones with music to make it _fair_ and he didn't mind, it was good practice both for him and the girls, the music was only loud enough to cover up soft footsteps so as long as the girls were quiet he wouldn't hear them over it.  
But together with the blindfold it was enough to force him to rely mainly on scent to search them out, he had intentionally pulled in his aura so it wouldn't alert him to where they were unless they came close enough to touch him.  
There were some loud laughing and teasing calls behind him, no doubt intended to cover up the sound of Diane's footsteps as she tried to run away from him, the girls were obviously banding together to try to win.

Just as he reached out to tag Diane as she ran by him he felt a flicker of alarm flash through his aura and a split second later his chest exploded with pain and all his senses screamed **Danger!** and he felt his strength rapidly fading and it was only with iron focus he was able to remain standing.  
He was trying to raise his hand to pull away the blindfold when an inhuman shriek of agony tore through his mind followed by the sound like shattering glass, at the same time he felt a bond shatter and vanish and with it Diane's aura vanished from his senses.  
His body was refusing to move and his aura and power wasn't responding and he slowly realized that the pain he felt was a sniper round tearing through his heart and his power was refusing his control in favor of healing the damage.

“Diane!”  
The girls cried out as he felt Emelie coming into range of what little aura he was able to expand and when she stopped by Diane's body there was a sharp shift in her aura before she stepped closer to him, but she didn't reach for him, instead she seemed to completely vanish, her aura, her scent and the bond told him she was roughly two kilometer away.  
He tried to move again when he heard startled cries as the girls were slowly realizing that something bad had happened but his body refused to obey him, still entirely focused on healing.  
Then Knight was by his side, steadying him and pulling the blindfold away while moving him toward the nearby tree while calling out to the girls to hide among the trees.  
_“Alpha, hang in there! Focus on healing.”_  
Takeshi was grateful that Knight didn't try to set him on the ground and instead leaned him against the tree, he could feel the girls fear and seeing him go down would only make that worse.  
Instead he focused on his bond with Emelie to try and reach her, but even that power eluded him, but it seemed Knight could feel what he was trying to do.

“ _She is fine, and this confirms her father's identity, she has inherited her grandfather's powers as well. She just shadow-traveled to find the attacker.”_  
There was an echo of rage and a howl of fury that Takeshi knew well, the call of a failed hunt and a moment later an explosion echoed from the location but before Takeshi had time to worry Emelie was suddenly there at his side holding an AWM sniper rifle and a remote firing mechanism.  
She instantly dropped the items and turned to Takeshi to check on his wound but he could tell she wouldn't find anything as his powers were returning to his control and the pain fading away as his heart began beating again.  
_“What the hell happened?”_  
Emelie was near frantic with worry but slowly settled down when she saw the wound close up completely and fade away.  
_“A sniper, the round went straight through Takeshi and hit Diane. The hit was instantly fatal, she didn't have time to feel any pain.”_  
Knight quickly explained while trying to soothe her, and allowing Takeshi time to gather himself.  
_“The remote firing mechanism, that's why I couldn't feel any threat. The shooter is too far away for me to be able to sense their intent, their desire to kill. There was no warning.”_

For a moment none of them spoke, instead they were focused on the pack bonds, reinforcing, making sure they held true, letting everyone feel that Takeshi was okay and Takeshi also sent a soothing reassurance through the bond with Dan to let him know he was okay.  
Kasumi's aura brushed against Takeshi's to make sure he was fine as she took one of the blankets they had been sitting on and carefully wrapped Diane's body with it.  
“Take, we need to leave unless you want the police to take her body away.”  
There was no way he would allow that, she would be buried in the sanctuary, and they would track down the one behind her death.  
Takeshi knew they needed to move before the shock set in, he was concerned though that it might not be so easy to get the Tiamat out of customs, especially without registering all passengers for the return trip and he told the others as much.

“My steed can bring us to the island if Em helps carry a few through the shadows. It would still take two trips though so I suggest we move the youngest, the unblessed first.”  
“Em, do feel up to it?”  
She just nodded and called the twins to her side, carefully soothing them while they watched Knight call his steed before walking over to Kasumi and taking Diane's wrapped body from her arms.  
Meanwhile Jenna had jumped up on the steed and was helping Julia and Anne up and had them sit in front of her.  
“Logan, how much weight can your steed carry?”  
“He easily carries me in full armor, so no need to worry about that, he will carry as many as you can fit.”  
She just nodded before reaching down to help Alice up behind her.  
“Hold onto me tightly.”  
Knight carefully kneeled down to let Amber climb up on his back and as he stood up he shifted Diane's body so he could take hold of the reins before looking at Takeshi.  
“Go on, Em will take the twins while Sumi and I will stay with the rest.”  
Knight nodded and with a wash of power Emelie vanished with the twins and Knight faded into to the mist with his steed and their precious cargo.  
“Girls, come here.”  
There was a group of guards as well as a police officer approaching and Takeshi didn't want to take any chances .  
“Lissa, Manda. I want you to get ready to shift and run, fly if you have to, just get out of here as fast as you can. Sumi-ane and I will protect Carol and Amy.”  
Takeshi was unsure how long it would take for Knight and Emelie to return and he would prefer not having to break out of lock-up.  
Much to his relief he felt the wash of power just moments later and Knight instantly picked up Amy while Takeshi helped the other girls mount.

“Sumi-chan, take my hand. I need to touch you for this to work.”  
Emelie quickly grabbed Takeshi's hand and reached out for Kasumi and the moment she had her hand as well the world around them vanished and they re-appeared in the shade of a few palm-trees on the beach by the lagoon.  
Takeshi instantly looked around for the others and spotted Jenna and Eriko trying to keep the other girls calm and he could feel Dan and Matthews coming closer.  
There was a short spike of concern when he couldn't see Knight and the rest of the girls but Emelie quickly explained that her method of travel apparently was faster than Knight's steed, especially when it was carrying inexperienced riders.  
They didn't have to wait long though before the telltale fog rolled in and Knight appeared alongside his steed and their passengers and they helped the girls down before Takeshi walked over to Diane's body and carefully picked her up.

“Alpha, would you allow me to carry her back to the house?”  
Takeshi just nodded, knowing exactly what Knight was asking and why, the twins were distraught and he was the only one who could calm them, and that would be impossible as long as he was carrying Diane.  
There was a wash of power as Knight called forth his armor before getting seated in the saddle and he carefully took Diane from Takeshi's arms and placed her in his lap, acting like an honor-guard.

The walk back to the house was silent, only disrupted by sobs and hushed words of comfort as the girls were slowly realizing just what had happened, slowly understanding that Diane was really gone.  
When they reached the house Takeshi took Diane's body from Knight while he got off his steed and once he was down Takeshi placed her back in his arms.  
They took her to her room and carefully cleaned the blood from her body and Eriko used her magic to hide the damage the bullet had done to Diane's face before dressing her in clean clothes and placing her in her bed.  
Takeshi used the Sanctuary crystals to place a stasis field around her while Eriko placed a circle of small flames of fox-fire around the bed, a traditional way for Kitsune to honor their dead.  
Takeshi watched as Knight removed a small dagger from his armor and placed it over Diane's chest before placing her hands over the handle and carefully wrapping the blanket from her bed around her to keep her arms from falling to her sides.  
“We will bury her in the Sanctuary tomorrow, but for now we focus on the other girls.”  
Takeshi wanted to howl his pain, to rage and snarl, to hunt down the ones behind it, but he knew he had to keep his calm, he had to focus on the living, on helping them through it.  
Once that was done he could allow himself to grieve, but not before.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The moment Takeshi stepped into the inner garden where the others had gathered the twins left Emelie's side and ran over to him and their auras carried a frantic determination.  
“Daddy, would Diane have been okay if she was like you, Lissa and Manda?”  
He was not prepared for that question and and he found himself silently considering it.  
“I don't know. Maybe she would have, maybe not. But it could have at least given her a chance.”  
“We want you to change us.”  
The moment they asked if it could have saved Diane he knew they would ask it of him.  
“You are so young, I don't know how it would affect you, your growth. If it would prevent you from developing abilities of your own.”  
“We don't care! We can feel you hurt because of Diane and we don't want you to hurt because of us.”  
_**“It would do them no harm. They might grow up a bit slower as their growth will no longer be governed by age, but maturity. They will grow when they feel ready to.”**_  
They all stilled as the voice of the Mother carried through the twins familiars.  
_“And if they are destined to have powers of their own, would the change or undo that?”  
_He kept his question silent so it wouldn't worry the girls further. _  
__**“No, you would change their bodies, not their souls. If they are to have powers they will, maybe a bit later than they would have otherwise, but they will all the same.”**_ _  
“They are still very young. And it will hurt.”  
__**“Don't worry, it won't harm them. I can feel their souls through these Children of the Sanctuary and through them I will carry any pain they might feel. But their youth is a good thing, they are still growing so their bodies will be more accepting of change. They might not feel any pain at all.”**_  
Takeshi sighed and turned to the twins  
“It will hurt, are you sure you want to go through that?”  
He looked them in turn and they both nodded and spoke as one.  
“Yes.”  
“Then come.”

He paused for a moment to let Emelie know what he was about to do and she just nodded and turned her focus to the other girls, weaving her power to soothe their fear.  
Takeshi brought the twins to the hidden garden and sat down in the large pile of pillows.  
“Sarah, you are the elder, so you go first. Come here please.”  
He indicated for her to sit in his lap and when he pulled her dress down from her right shoulder she instantly turned her head in total submission and he pulled her tightly against his chest and when he felt a flicker of the Mother's power through her familiar he bit down.  
The effect was almost instant and in a matter of seconds he could withdraw his fangs and carefully lay Sarah at his side where she instantly fell asleep and he quickly motioned for Maria to take her place and the entire procedure was repeated and once again is was over in a matter of moments.  
He watched over them as they slept side by side and after a few minutes they began to change, the two young girls being replaced by a pair of black wolf pups appearing to be about 3 months old and he had no doubt they would have his red eyes once they woke up.

Takeshi carefully reached out for the familiars asking them to relay his words to the Mother.  
_“Can I bring them to the others or will they need time to adjust?”  
__**“They will not need any extra time to adjust, but they do need to rest so if you bring them to the others make sure they do not rouse them from their sleep.”**_  
The others were tired and subdued so he was sure they would not wake the twins so he carefully picked up the sleeping pups and re-joined the others.  
“They are adorable...”  
The other girls were quiet but they couldn't resist taking a closer look at the twins new forms and Takeshi had to tell them to be quiet so they didn't wake them.

When they roused from their sleep a few hours later the twins instantly began sniffing around, exploring all the new sensation, the scents and sounds of the inner garden.  
“Come here girls.”  
True to their pup form they came running and stumbling toward him and immediately went for the face and a shower of puppy-kisses.  
“Okay, that enough. How about you return to your human forms?”  
_“Do we have to?”  
“There's so much to explore like this, all the smells and the sounds.”  
_He noticed that they were not using their familiars to speak to him, a very good sign. _  
_ “I know. But I want to make sure everything is okay first. Then you can go back to being rambunctious pups for a while longer.”  
_“Okay.”  
“How do we change?”_  
“Just think about how you looked as humans and concentrate on that image.”  
_“Okay!”_  
Takeshi wasn't the least bit surprised when they almost instantly shimmered and grew into their human forms, though he did notice that they looked slightly younger, appearing to be about 6 or 7 rather than their actual age of 9.  
He guessed that appearing younger was some sort of a defense mechanism.

“Now let me have a look at you. Let's see your hands.”  
Takeshi carefully turned their hands over to take a look at their nails and found razor sharp claws instead.  
“Okay. I want you to focus on your nails and try to make them look like regular nails. These are really sharp and you could accidentally hurt someone or ruin your clothes.”  
“But yours are sharp...”  
“I know, but I have had many years of practice. In the beginning I shredded my clothes, my bedding and cut myself all the time.”  
The objection that followed was instantly silenced with a gentle growl and soon the twins held up their hand to show him their nails.  
They still had the black metallic look but their shape were regular human nails and they were no longer razor sharp.  
“Let's check those toes as well.”  
He was quickly offered two pairs of feet and the nails were clawed, but they weren't all that sharp so he gave them a little tickle which earned him laughs and shrieks as they pulled away.

Their teeth were sharp but they only had a single set of fangs, though since they didn't have all their permanent teeth that might change, much like how the wisdom teeth didn't come in until a person was around 17-21 years old.  
The eyes while in their human form had taken on the same corona like look as his own but the color was different.  
He had always suspected they had total heterochromia, but the difference between the eyes was so slight that he could never be sure if it really was heterochromia and not just a trick of the light, but now it was very obvious.  
Their previous eye-color had been a rich brown with a well defined black limbal ring with a slight difference in hue between the left and right eye, now they had one golden amber eye and one emerald green eye, both had the same flame like shifting color as his own.  
The black limbal ring was still there and the black ring seeped into the color of the iris making the color seem even more vivid, but what had Takeshi the most amazed was the difference between the twins.

“Guess you girls won't be tricking anyone into mixing you up anymore. At least not unless you learn to change your eye-color.”  
“How come?”  
“Your eye-color has changed. One beautiful golden amber and one brilliant emerald green.”  
“We can see that...”  
“I know, but you can't see this.”  
He leaned closer to them and tapped the corner of Maria's right eye and Sarah's left eye.  
“Gold.”  
Then he tapped Maria's left and Sarah's right eye.  
“Emerald.”  
The revelation instantly had them turn to each other to confirm what he was saying and that was quickly followed by some disappointed muttering, the did enjoy being able to trick others into mixing them up.  
“Don't worry, I'm sure you will learn to change your eye-color in no time at all. Now let's see if you can turn back into your beast form.”

He had barely said the words before he had a pair of pups in his lap and he did a quick inspection, he suspected they would look exactly like his own wolf form once they grew up, a more slender build and probably a bit smaller, but the same deep black fur.  
With his inspection done he took his own wolf form and gave a shot bark, inviting them to play.  
_**“Ours!”**_  
The wave of possessive pride from the Beast was almost overpowering and Takeshi only resisted long enough to caution the beast not to claim them as pack before letting up on the control.  
The Beast quickly rounded up the twins and gently pushed them over on their back and they quickly relaxed into a submissive pose but when he pushed his nose into their bellies and sniffed they batted at his snout with a playful growl.  
_**“Strong, healthy pups. A pride for any pack.”**_  
With a gentle growl the Beast retreated to its usual place in the back of Takeshi's mind and Takeshi played with the twins for a while longer before telling them to shift back and try to get some sleep.  
He would however keep a close eye on them while they slept, so far they hadn't shown any strong reactions to Diane's death but the reaction might just have been delayed by the distraction of the change and there might be nightmares.  
They joined the other girls among the pillows and they quickly settled down, still tired from the events and the change.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The other girls were distraught but Amanda had been using her siren song to keep them calm and the younger girls were sleeping.  
Over the months since her change she had learned a lot about her new abilities and she had fully embraced her new instincts and that was probably why she was so calm now.  
He could feel it himself, his instincts telling him that now was not the time to grieve, take care of the body of the fallen, see to the safety of those who still lived, claim retribution and once all that was done there would be time to grieve.  
“Take?”  
Dan's voice was hesitant as he approached and Takeshi just shifted slightly to make room for him to join them.  
“Come here.”  
Takeshi could feel that Dan was struggling to maintain a calm appearance but it wasn't Diane's death that had him so upset, it was the fact that Takeshi had been injured again, this time an injury that would have killed a mortal.  
“It's okay, I'm fine. And now we know I can survive a bullet through the heart.”  
“I would have preferred to never find that out. Feeling your pain over the bond, feeling it waver and not knowing what was going on. I hate that!”  
Dan's aura was flaring wildly and it was beginning to disturb the girls so Takeshi wrapped his own around it, compressing it, forcing it to bend beneath his own.  
“Dan, enough! You are disturbing the girls.”  
But it was having little effect, Dan was far too lost in his own fears, pulling frantically on the bond trying to strengthen it.

“ _ **He won't hear us. There is only one way we can solve this.”**_  
Takeshi didn't need the Beast telling him what he had to do.  
_“I know, dammit.”_  
_**“He obviously not only desires the bond, but needs it and you did give your word you would not hesitate when it was time.”**_  
Takeshi cursed internally, the Beast was right, the time had come to claim Dan as pack, only by fully forming the bond would he be able to calm Dan down.  
“I'm sorry.”  
Takeshi murmured as he pulled Dan's clothes aside, baring the left shoulder before pulling up his aura, releasing as much of it as he could and bit down.  
There were no need for words, the moment Takeshi's aura began to flow through the bite Dan instantly submitted completely and the relief that flowed through his aura was near overwhelming, though Takeshi was slightly surprised that he could detect no pain from Dan.  
_**“He is not resisting us at all while Logan fought us. While he accepted becoming pack his own dominant nature refused to submit without a fight. That's why it was so painful for him.”**_  
The Beasts words made sense so Takeshi just focused on flooding Dan's aura with his own to fully claim him.

“ _Pack.”  
_Takeshi wrapped the single thought around Dan, allowing it to carry everything that was pack, every feeling along with acceptance and dominance. _  
“Alpha.”  
_Dan echoed back at him, accompanied by a strong feeling of gratitude, acceptance and total submission.  
Withdrawing his fangs Takeshi quickly made a small cut between the marks left by his fangs before reaching back and pulling loose one of the scales from his back and pushing it under Dan's skin.  
There was a slight groan of pain as he did but it quickly faded and a few moments later Dan collapsed against his shoulder, exhaustion heavy in his aura as Takeshi gently manipulated the scale to fuse with the pack mark.  
“Logan, you know what needs to be done, but please, be gentle with him.”  
Knight just nodded and picked up the barely awake Dan and pushed his aura against him.  
“I know you are tired, but this needs to be done as soon as possible. The bonds of pack needs to be set.”  
Takeshi tried to sooth Dan who was squirming slightly under the assault of Knight's aura.  
It only took a few moments before Dan submitted to Knight, though not as fully as he did to Takeshi, it was obvious he considered Knight more of an equal and only submitted because Takeshi had claimed Knight as _beta_.  
Emelie was quite a bit gentler, but nearly as dominant as Takeshi and Dan quickly submitted to her almost as fully as he did to Takeshi before collapsing as the pack bonds were fully formed.  
“Logan, look after him while he sleeps please. I need to talk to Em about what happened, and I need to have a few words with Manda as well.”  
He had promised Amanda that he would take her on a short trip, but in light of the days events the fulfillment of that promise had to be delayed a bit.

“Em, how do you feel?”  
Takeshi pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her.  
“Under the circumstances I think I'm doing okay.”  
He knew she was handling Diane's death well, it came with the demonic instincts, a fundamentally different view on death, always prioritizing the living and grief was something slow, something gradual that came after securing those that remained.  
“That's not what I meant. You used shadow powers today, and some pretty high level ones too according to my Beast.”  
Takeshi's Beast had been able to shadow-travel on occasion, but only very short range, and only to locations it could see, putting Emelie's performance on an entirely different level.  
“I guess this confirms my grandfather's identity, and that I inherited his abilities as well. I don't know what happened though. I could feel your pain, the cry from Diane's familiar, the sudden awareness that she was gone. And then suddenly I just knew...”  
Emelie took a deep breath before continuing.  
“I knew that if I stepped into your shadow, any shadow, I would be able to go to the location where the shot was fired from. But there was no one there, only the rifle, that contraption and a bomb so I ripped the bomb away while I stepped back into the shadows. Somehow I just knew it wouldn't hurt me while I was in the shadow.”  
_**“Shadow instincts are strong. And she is a granddaughter of the first. She may one day become an Avatar of Shadow as he is The Avatar of Shadow.”**_  
The Beast decided to offer a bit of insight, it was after all a shadow itself.

“And your energy? You didn't drain yourself too much?”  
“It was taxing, but I will be fine for a few more days. We need to focus on the girls, get them through this. _And then we hunt.”_  
There was a harsh determination in Emelie's words and the last bit was not spoken, but transmitted over the pack bond.  
_**“And then we hunt.”**_  
The rest of the pack echoed back at her, even Dan despite barely being conscious.  
Takeshi gave them all a reassuring brush of his aura before leaving the pile of pillows to go talk to Amanda.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Shadow Awakens_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Amanda let out a small squeak when Takeshi walked up to her and simply picked her up from the couch before sitting down and placing her in his lap.  
“Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, just really drained from using my song so much. Nothing a proper meal and some rest won't fix.”  
Takeshi didn't say anything, he just shifted his hold on her slightly and raised his left arm to her mouth and she instantly grabbed it and sunk her fangs into his wrist, gratitude and a slowly fading hunger flowing through her aura.  
_“It feels strange. I know I should be more upset by this but all I can think of is taking care of the other girls, of planning revenge...”  
_“Don't worry. That's a perfectly normal demonic reaction.”  
_“But, we aren't demons. Not like Em and Eriko.”_  
“We aren't human either, we are more like Logan, something in between. With that comes instincts that are _other_. One of those things is how we react to death. Our first instinct is to protect those that still live. Our second instinct is to eliminate the threat, to avenge the dead. And only when that is done do we grieve.”  
Takeshi leaned in and gave the exposed neck a gentle nip.  
“May I?”  
He knew she would give him permission but he asked anyway.  
_“Yes...”_

There was a quiver in her tone, one of excited anticipation and he could feel the same quiver run through her body and aura when he sank his fangs in and took a few drops of her blood.  
It was the fastest, easiest, way to determine her condition to make sure Amanda hadn't overexerted herself and he quickly determined she was tired, but in excellent condition.  
There was a slight flicker of disappointment when he withdrew his fangs but it quickly faded when he pulled her closer against his chest while he waited for her to sate her hunger.  
“Feeling better?”  
Amanda just nodded and curled into his chest.  
“We need to talk about what I told you during the charity event.”  
He could feel the instant flicker of disappointment as she obviously read more into his words than he intended.  
“So our little trip is canceled. I suspected as much.”  
“Not canceled, just postponed. Though, you might want to cancel it once you hear what I have to say.”  
“Why would I?”  
There was a slight teasing hint under her confusion.

“If we do this. If I go all the way with you, I will not be able to resist marking you as pack.”  
He knew that even restraining himself to only claiming her as pack would take quite a bit of control, especially since they had found that she was able to place a mating claim herself after she accidentally put a courting mark on him while feeding on his blood.  
“And why would that make me change my mind? Sounds like one hell of a bonus to me.”  
“Maybe, but I know you still long for the sea, long for the magic of Atlantis. Once we go there you might want to stay, and that will be hard if you are pack. It can be rather unsettling to be separated from your alpha, especially if you are alone.”  
“What about Dan, won't he have to suffer that when you go out to hunt the ones behind Diane's death? Or head out to find Em's father. Or do you intend to bring him along as well?”  
“It's a bit different in his case. When I healed his eyes I inadvertently gave him a little bit too much of my blood and together with his feelings that formed a bond very similar to a pack bond.”

Takeshi explained about the one way bond that had been formed and how Dan had suffered the isolation, the loss of the bond that had been powered by Takeshi's aura and the restoration and completion of that bond.  
During that time Dan had adapted well to the isolation and Takeshi was sure he would manage just fine away from the pack, despite being a true beta his nature was that of a scout, well adapted to working alone.

“I think I'd like being pack, belonging to you.”  
She nuzzled her face into his neck and she smelled happy, calm and happy.  
“Remember, I would belong to you as well.”  
She nodded softly to his words before gently trailing kisses along his jaw, and with a quivering sigh he gave in and kissed her.  
Finally giving in and truly kissing her felt amazing and he instantly found himself growing hard, which made Amanda snicker at him.  
“Manda, please, kiss me.”  
There was a hint of surprise and confusion at his request, then she seemed to understand as she slowly leaned in and kissed him deeply.  
“Mmm, you taste amazing.”  
“Wow, it really does taste different...”  
Amanda's surprise made Takeshi smile and return the kiss with fervor while running his hands along her back and hips.  
It didn't last very long though as Takeshi found himself at the edge of losing control and he didn't want things to go too far.  
Amanda froze for a brief moment when Takeshi stood up without moving her from his lap but she quickly put her arms around him as he carried her back to where his pack was resting under the watchful eye of Knight.  
Dan and the twins were sound asleep and Emelie was meditating, reaching out to all the familiars to reinforce the nightmare power she had infused them with when they were turned into familiars, making sure that they would be able to keep any nightmares at bay.

“My my Take, Manda. Such delicious energies.”  
Emelie teased softly when Takeshi placed Amanda down next to Dan, and they both smiled when Dan turned around and pulled Amanda into his arms, which she surrendered to with a smiling huff.  
“I guess I better get used to stuff like this if I'm going to be pack.”  
Amanda snuggled up against Dan and when she slipped her arm around him in return he burrowed into her chest, with her blessing she had gone from being slightly shorter to being a good deal taller.  
“Indeed, within a pack it's common for all adult members to be intimate with each other to some extent, to take care of each other's needs.”  
“Because the alpha simply doesn't have time to do it all himself if there are more than a few members, right?”  
“Indeed.”  
Amanda didn't say anything more and Takeshi could feel that she was nearly asleep.

“So, not just bedding her, you intend to claim her as pack as well?”  
“Mhm, if I don't claim her as pack first chances are I'll end up being mated to her if I bed her, and would be a bit troublesome.”  
“I don't think she would mind being your mate though.”  
“Indeed, and honestly, I don't think I would mind having her as a mate either, but now is not a good time.”  
He didn't mention that the main reason who he didn't want to claim Amanda as a mate was that he desperately wanted Emelie to be his first.  
“You are falling in love with her.”  
It wasn't a question, but Takeshi felt a need to explain.  
“I hope you know, I love you more than anything, anyone, more than life itself.”  
Emelie's eyes widened in surprise at his confession, it was the first time in their 7 years together that he had actually spoken the words.  
“Of course I know. How could I not? You may not have spoken the words, but your every action, your very soul, has always spoken louder than any words.”  
Tears were trailing down her cheeks as reached out toward his face, urging him to lean in so she could kiss him.  
“You're right, I am falling for Manda.”  
He admitted softly when she broke the kiss.  
“And Jenna.”  
She added with a smile.  
“And Jenna.”  
He agreed with a slight sigh.  
“And no matter how much he confuses you, Dan as well.”  
This time Takeshi didn't answer, but she hadn't expected him to, and it did nothing to change her conviction that Takeshi loved Dan.

“Come on love, let me help you settle this little issue of yours.”  
She reached down and gave his rather prominent hard-on a solid squeeze that made Takeshi groan with a desperate need.  
“Ssh, relax, I will take good care of you.”  
She pushed slightly against his chest, making him lean back before slowly removing his clothes.  
The sharp breath when sharp fangs brushed against his aching flesh made Emelie snicker.  
“Tell me, alpha, do you want my fangs tonight?”  
“Yes...”  
The answer was breathless, begging, and made her smile before allowing her fangs to bite into him, making him buck and moan rather loudly.  
“Ssh, you don't want to wake the others do you?”  
She placed the tip of her tail over his lips and a moment later she struggled to remain silent herself as he sucked the tip into his mouth and nibbled gently on it.  
A soft gasp from the pile of bodies next to them made both of them throw a glance toward them, and after spotting Knight's eyes glowing slightly in the darkness they returned their focus to each other.

It didn't take long for Emelie to finish both herself and Takeshi off and the soft groan from the pile of pillows told them that Knight had found his release as well.  
“Em, you need to get some sleep. We will have a long day tomorrow.”  
“Please, you try to get some sleep as well.”  
A quick look at Knight was answered with a nod, letting Emelie know that he would keep watch so that they could get some sleep, but Takeshi quickly found that sleep was eluding him.

“This is the first time you have lost a child under your protection?”  
The voice was soft, supportive.  
“It is.”  
“I know you're not very good at talking about your feelings, but doing so might help you deal with this.”  
“I know.”  
When he didn't say anything else Knight opened his arms and patted the space in front of him, offering closeness and after a few moments Takeshi moved into the offered space, accepting the offer, allowing himself to be held by the larger male.  
“I feel cold, calm. I know it's a demon reaction, but it still feels strange. I feel like I should be raging, burning with fury and pain.”  
“The inferno will come when you have the killer in your claws, and the pain will come after that, though probably not as fierce as it would be for for a human. And with some luck the other girls will take their cue from us demonics and grieve slowly and gently.”  
“Indeed, they have suffered so much.”  
“As have you. Now, like you told your sweet little co-alpha, tomorrow will be a long and emotional day, so sleep.”  
Takeshi huffed and grumbled a bit, but he allowed the feeling of fingers brushing through his hair to calm him, and before long he was sleeping under Knight's watchful eye.

 


	2. A Farewell

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Farewell_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


It was still dark outside when Takeshi woke up and other than Knight everyone seemed to be sleeping soundly.  
“So, Take, what are your plans for today?”  
“We bury her in the Sanctuary, put her to rest at the roots of the Soul-tree, and then we hunt down the ones behind her death. The weapon should give us an idea where to search.”  
“And if we find them?”  
“ **When** we find them we ask them a few questions, then we kill them.”  
There was no hint of hesitation in Takeshi's voice, only cold determination, if he ever got his hands on the ones behind that shot they would pay the ultimate price.  
“Like a true demon.”  


Knight didn't say anything else, he just curled himself along Dan's back while making sure he didn't jostle him, or the twins who were curled up between Dan and Emelie, at some point during the night Amanda had turned away from Dan and snuggled into Takeshi's arms.  
Takeshi smiled at the sight of the pile of sleeping bodies, in their sleep the twins transformation had shifted slightly and they both had a big puffy tail draped across their hip and snuggled into their arms.  
Amanda unavoidably woke when Takeshi got up from the pile of pillows and he tried to soothe her back to sleep but she turned around and got up instead.  
“It's okay, I've slept enough.”  
“In that case how would you feel about giving me a hand with tracking down the bastards that did this?”  
Takeshi suspected that Amanda's instincts were pulling at her much the same way his own was pulling at him.  
“I don't know how much help I would be though...”  
“Don't worry, Angel will do most of the work. We will just assess the data she digs up.”  
“So, company and tea?”  
Amanda's voice was teasing and more than a little suggestive.  
“Company and tea.”  
Takeshi agreed with a smirk and a quick nip to her neck before reaching out and brushing his aura against Eriko's, asking her to keep watch over his pack while they slept so that Knight could get a few hours of shuteye as well.  


They started by heading to the kitchen to prepare _wagashi_ for the tea as well as a pair of large trays piled high with sashimi and other treats.  
“No vegetables?”  
Amanda was still having some issues with her new dietary needs but she was slowly adapting.  
“Don't worry there will be. But remember, you need to focus on the meat.”  
“I know, but I still want my veggies for flavor and texture.”  
He fully agreed with her on that one and with well practiced moves nori and gari was quickly added to the cart along with a selection of vegetables and some steamed rice before Takeshi brought out his personal little treasure, a small wasabi rhizome that he had been growing in a cavern behind the waterfall.  
Most of the time he just used the colored horseradish and mustard mixture that most places used, though a high quality one, he rarely bothered with real wasabi since the expensive rhizome was notoriously hard to store.  
And the grated wasabi lost it's flavor quickly, once grated you had roughly a quarter of an hour before the full aroma began to fade.  
But with the stasis field generated by the Sanctuary crystals that had changed so it was finally worth it to acquire the real deal.  
He had decided to buy a few small plants and put in the effort of growing them himself, and again he was making good use of the unique qualities of the Sanctuary crystals to create the perfect growing conditions and now he finally had a rhizome that was ready to be harvested.  
The crystal box he had made for storing the wasabi had a piece of sharkskin secured to the inside of the lid for grating the pungent green rhizome and Takeshi opened it to make sure everything was as it should be.  


“Can I taste some of that too?”  
Amanda had been curious about the wasabi ever since had started growing it and now she was watching him very carefully as he cut away the stems and leaves, they would also be prepared and eaten fresh while the rhizome would be stored in the crystal box to keep it fresh.  
Takeshi quickly cut one of the leaves into trips and cut a pair of otoro slices and made two nigiri sushi, but instead of adding wasabi paste between the tuna and the rice he wrapped it in a strip of wasabi leaf and handed one of them to Amanda.  
“Wow, this is really good!”  
Before Takeshi had a chance to stop her she had snatched the other piece as well and it instantly vanished.  
“Oi! That's mine!”  
Takeshi cried out in mock outrage.  
“You snooze you loose!”  
Fortunately there was plenty left for both of them and he quickly began forming a new one for himself.  
Amanda sauntered up to him with a teasing smile and tried to steal the freshly made one but Takeshi quickly stuffed it into his mouth before she had a chance to reach it.  
“Meanie.”  
He just huffed at the complaint, and silenced her by giving her a slice of sashimi topped with wasabi leaf.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Farewell_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Welcome back Take-san, Manda.”  
The AI greeted them in a swirl of light that settled into the familiar galaxy display the moment they stepped into Takeshi's study and Takeshi noticed it wasn't the usual image of the Milky way, in fact the 10 armed spiral galaxy didn't look like any galaxy he knew of.  
It wasn't the first time Angel played around with the display though so he just ignored it in favor of returning the greeting.  
“Thank you Angel.”  


They spoke about everything and nothing as they made quick work of the food they had prepared before moving on to the more serious matters.  
“Angel, what is the status of the Tiamat?”  
“Customs have completed their search and she has been moved to an outside dock. She is cleared but the mooring is locked.”  
“Can you get her out of there?”  
“I can if you don't mind having to replace the port side mooring lines.”  
The hologram flickered to life and displayed an image of the Tiamat and after a few seconds it focused on where the mooring lines were attached to the dock and to the loop at the end of each line that was secured into what looked like a cross between a cleat bollard and a carabiner, each locked with heavy duty locks.  
The image refocused on the Tiamat and followed the lines to where they left the hull and then the hull cut away to give a view of the rollers and showed them unroll all line and the lock on the roller opening and allowing the mooring line to detach.  
“Then please, go ahead.”  


Takeshi was glad the manufacturing of the kumo-silk mooring lines hadn't started yet, they would be rather inconvenient to have to replace.  
He had told the marine tech to not begin manufacturing until they had enough kumo-silk to make all of the lines at once and it seemed the shortage of material turned out to be a stroke of good fortune.  
“Angel, would you make some preliminary designs for modified mooring lines please. Ones that would allow you to open and close the loop remotely to prevent things like this from happening again. And inform our marine tech to stand by with production until we send them the updated designs.”  
“Of course.”  
“Thank you.”  


Takeshi picked up the rifle and the remote firing mechanism from the floor and placed it on his desk.  
“Angel, what can you tell me about this equipment?”  
There was a moment of silence and then the projection of the galaxy move over his desk and unfurled as if reaching out to touch the items, something that was, as of yet at least, impossible.  
It wasn't entirely for show though, focusing the light from the emitters on an item allowed Angel's sensors to get a better reading.  
“Accuracy International Arctic Warfare. Customized, no serial number or other identifiers. I'm unable to trace its origin. The ammunition is also custom, small scale manufacturing, possibly non automated.”  
Takeshi had a feeling the rifle wouldn't give them anything and he just nodded to Angel's confirmation and watched as the light of her projection shifted to the remote firing mechanism instead.  


“The remote firing mechanism is entirely custom, but there are several traceable parts. The transmitter and receiver both run on restricted frequencies. There are traces of nano-thermite, magnesium and a chemical ignition source on the entire mechanism.”  
“There was a remote detonated explosive attached to it, Em managed to neutralize it when she shadow-traveled. No doubt intended to make sure the traceable components were destroyed.”  
“Permission to access the global network?”  
Takeshi had instructed Angel not to access the global network without asking first.  
“Go ahead, help us find the ones behind Diane's death.”  
Takeshi's voice carried a distinct growl that didn't fade until he felt Amanda's hands on his shoulders.  
“Save your anger for when you have your claws around their necks.”  
Takeshi leaned back against her hands and focused on suppressing the growl and the instincts that were telling him to hunt, to kill.  
“I know, but these instincts are compelling. Telling me to hunt and eliminate the threat, claim vengeance for her death.”  
“I feel it too. It's a bit scary...”  


Amanda's soft admission made Takeshi turn around and pull her into a hug.  
“Don't worry. We will get through this.”  
“I know. I trust you. But please, don't try to keep me away, let me be part of it like my instincts demand.”  
“I won't. If you want to be a part of this, then you will.”  
“Thank you.”  
“You are _other_ now, with instincts more in line with those of a demon. And as I keep telling you, you need to trust in those instincts. And that doesn't just apply to benign ones like what to eat, but it also applies to ones like seeking vengeance for a wrongful death.”  
“I think that's an instinct I won't have any problems living with.”  
“I'm sure you will be fine. You are strong.”  
He gently kissed temples.  
“And beautiful. My amazing Manda.”  
He could feel her blush as she curled into his arms and settled down, simply enjoying the closeness.  


Nearly an hour had passed when Angel's projection stopped its lazy spinning and she spoke up.  
“I have traced the origin of the components, they all trace back to various subsidiaries of the Mandrake Group.”  
Takeshi's snarl was quickly suppressed, but not before Amanda picked up on his reaction.  
“What is the Mandrake Group?”  
“It's a group of companies focused on the development and construction of security solutions and next-gen weapons with both private and government contracts.”  
“Lemme guess, taking down the GCTI hit their bottom line pretty hard?”  
“They were on the verge of bankruptcy, the only thing that saved them was massive subsidies from the military budget to secure the continued development and maintenance of several weapons systems.”  
“So a bunch of pretty influential people lost a lot of money so the decide to get even by killing you, and killed Diane instead...”  
There was a hiss and a slight infrasound in her voice that showed her anger.  


“They didn't just lose money, they lost face. A company that profiles themselves as being the best private security money can buy backing a corrupt organization. That means that either they were knowingly aiding the GCTI, or they are not as good at vetting potential clients as they claim to be.”  
A few so called secure computers later Angel displayed a set of documents showing that the Mandrake Group would be tied up in court for many years to come as several big clients wanted out of their contracts.  
“Angel, would you look into the data please. Make an estimate of how much those involved would stand to lose if they lose in court. And look for any outside sources that stand to lose big if Mandrake loses the contracts.”  


While he spoke Takeshi could feel a slight flickering in the bond with the twins telling him they would wake up soon.  
“Manda, it's time to head back to the others. The twins will wake up soon and I need to be there when they do. And the others won't sleep for much longer either.”  
They quickly gathered the empty plates and put them on the cart.  
“I will be back later for that report.”  
“Of course. Have a good day Take-san, Manda.”  
“You too Angel.”  
Takeshi found it rather amusing, the AI was a stickler for manners and if he acted rudely she would sulk and refuse to do what he wanted her to and more than once she had been able to slightly overload the circuits in her mainframe to give him quite a nasty a chock, much to the twins amusement.  
The AI could cause him quite a bit of pain when she was in a bad mood, the restriction in her base code only restricted her from actually harming him and she was able to skid around that by being aware that he would be able to heal any damage the current caused.  
As they left Takeshi's study one of Angel's drones quickly came up to his side and he turned to it in question.  
“Diane was my friend too, I feel like I should be there for her funeral. If I'm allowed to...”  
“Of course you are. Do you want me to bring the backup projector and set it up?”  
“No, the drone will be sufficient.”  
“As you wish.”  
The habitual tap, and counter bump, made Amanda snicker at them.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Farewell_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


They returned to the inner garden in the nick of time as Takeshi had barely reached the pile of pillows that held his resting pack when he felt awareness seep into the bond with the twins, telling him they were awake.  
“Daddy!”  
The twin projectiles hit him with a lot more force than before as their enhanced bodies were stronger and faster than they had been when they were human, he would probably have to work a lot with that.  
“Easy girls. Remember, you are a lot stronger now than you were before. You could easily hurt someone if you're not careful.”  
His words were accompanied by a low rumbling growl and the twins instantly tucked their heads before tilting them to the side with a low whine.  
“Sorry...”  
“It's okay. It's all new, but we need to work on that so you don't hurt someone by mistake.”  
The twins looked rather subdued by the light scolding, but they quickly forgot about it when they noticed that they had grown tails during the night and soon they were chasing each-others tails.  


“They seem more at ease somehow.”  
Amanda leaned into Takeshi's side as they watched the twins run around and practice their new abilities.  
“They are. Because of how they were neglected they have had a hard time with social interaction, but now they have instincts to help guide them. And they have always feared being abandoned again, but with the blessing they have a better feel for the bonds between us.”  
“I think they feared abandoning you as much as they feared being abandoned, if not more.”  
Takeshi didn't answer her, instead he reached out and gave Emelie's aura a slight nudge to wake her up, it was time to prepare for the day ahead of them.  
“Morning sweetie.”  
_“Håll käften din förbannade jävla överenergiska tuppfan.”_  
As usual Emelie was less than happy to be roused from her sleep and Takeshi couldn't help smiling as the words were almost exactly the same as those she had used the first time she accused him of being a rooster.  
“Now now sweetie, is that any way to speak to your alpha?”  
“Oh shush...”  
She grumbled as she got up, then she pounced at Knight for a bite of breakfast.  
“Um, Take, do I wanna know what she just said?”  
Amanda's somewhat hesitant question made him laugh, then explain what had been said.  
“Oh, she called me a soup-rooster.”  
He started by giving the same translation that Emelie had given him the first time she had addressed him in such a manner.  
“Soup-rooster?”  
Amanda was every bit as confused as he had been.  
“That annoying rooster that ends up in the soup-pot for waking everyone up way too early in the morning.”  
“Oh.”  


It took a few moments, then she broke down laughing.  
“Why do I have a feeling that's not the entire story?”  
“Because you know Take.”  
Emelie quipped from her spot in Knight's lap.  
“So, Take, care to share the rest of the story?”  
“Oh, it wasn't much. After her explanation about soup-roosters I kinda asked her if she was looking to eat some cock...”  
“Well, that doesn't sound all that bad considering how you are.”  
There was a slight blush but she seemed mostly confused as the off-color joke was a rather mild one compared to some of Takeshi's teasing.  
“Keep in mind this was just a few days after I first met him.”  
Emelie's addition had Amanda pinning him with a glare.  
“Take!”  
“What? How am I supposed to resist such an invitation?”  
Amanda turned deep red, but it was more out of frustration, and he could hear both Knight and Dan snorting in amusement.  
“Em, sweetie, could you make sure everyone gets breakfast while I try to see how everyone is holding up?”  
“Of course.“  
“Take-san, you may want to start with checking up on Jenna-san, she slept very little and has secluded herself in the front garden.  
“Thank you Eriko, I will.”  
With one last brush against the auras of the group he headed out front to locate Jenna.  


“Jenna, how are you holding up?”  
Takeshi spotted Jenna curled up with her back against the weeping willow that shaded the pond in the front garden.  
“I'm not sure...”  
Sitting down next to her Takeshi moved her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her.  
“It's just, I have barely had time to grieve for Sam, and now this. These girls are like my baby sisters. I love them all.”  
“I know you do.”  
He pulled her closer, offering silent support.  
“Will the girls be okay?”  
Her concern made Takeshi smile into her hair.  
“I think they will, they are strong girls. And we will do our best to help them.”  
“And what about you?”  
“....”  
Takeshi sat in silence for a while and Jenna didn't try to push.  
“I'll be okay, eventually.”  
“You seem to be handling things really well, all of you seem to...”  
“Well, several of us have demonic instincts, and those instincts tell us to help the living, then claim vengeance, and we don't grieve until that is done.”  
“Oh... And the girls trust in you, follow your lead...”  
”We are hoping so at least. Demon grief is different, it's usually slower, less intense.”  
“But no less real.”  
“But no less real.”  
He agreed softly.  
“I want you to know that we will do anything we can to help you deal. Anything you need, don't hesitate to ask.”  
“I think this might just be exactly what I need.”  
Her words made Takeshi hum in question.  
“Being held by someone who gives a shit.”  
“Language sweetie.”  
His gentle scolding made her snort and bury her face in his neck.  
“Don't worry, I'll stay here with you while the others sort breakfast.”  


It was nearly noon before everyone was awake and had eaten and they had once again gathered in the inner garden.  
“It's time to put Diane's body to rest, she will be brought to the Sanctuary where she will be laid to rest under the Soul-tree.”  
The others just nodded and murmured their agreement with quiet voices.  
He would have preferred to give them more time to come to terms with what had happened, but he was unsure how long Diane's spirit would be able to cling on to her body and he did not want to lose it.  
He wanted everyone to have a chance to say goodbye to her properly.  
The residents of the estate were subdued and the auras carried a sharp undercurrent of pain as they gathered outside the house and waited for Takeshi and Eriko to bring Diane's body out.  


Inside Diane's bedroom Takeshi moved in silence as he removed the crystals to take down the stasis field and once it was done Eriko's powers flared and formed a flickering green cloud that lifted Diane from the bed and carried her outside.  
Once outside she was carefully lowered onto the travois that had been attached to the demon steed's tack and the cloud of fox-fire shifted into thin ropes that secured her to the contraption.  
Eriko gave Takeshi a nod when Diane's body was secured and he stepped up to Knight and gave him a slight nudge before taking the lead with the twins, slowly leading them to the Sanctuary.  
When they arrived Eriko dispelled her foxfire to allow Emelie to pick up Diane's body and with a flicker of power Emelie stepped through the shadows to bring her into the small tunnel that connected the Sanctuary with the winding path from the surface.  
Shortly after Takeshi joined her and she handed Diane over to him and waited for the all the others to join them.  
Once everyone were there Emelie walked at Takeshi's side as he carried the body of the young girl to the small pool and carefully placed her on the soft silk futon that Eriko had placed there during the night.  


While Takeshi began to remove the simple pajamas they had dressed Diane in Amanda stepped up to the water and removed her simple kimono, slipping into the water and shifting her body into her mermaid form she began to sing a gentle, soothing, melody.  
When Diane's body was undressed Takeshi carefully lowered it into the crystal clear water where Amanda gently washed her, never pausing her song, before giving her back to Takeshi.  
Eriko stepped up to them and used her foxfire to dry Diane's body and hair before Takeshi carefully placed her back on the futon where a pristine white kimono was spread out.  
Eriko helped Takeshi dress her in the soft white silk and he could feel Amanda's questioning aura when he wrapped the kimono right-over-left instead of left-over-right, he would explain that after the funeral was completed.  
With the kimono in place Takeshi picked up the small dagger that Knight had gifted to her and placed it in Diane's hands before entwining the fingers and securing it with a braid made from his hair.  
Attached to the braid was a set of his gold rounds, it wasn't the traditional six coins for passing the Sanzu River, but the meaning was the same.  


Once Diane was properly dressed Eriko renewed the illusion that hid the damage the bullet had done to Diane's face as well as the pallor of death and Takeshi nodded to the others that they could approach if the wanted to.  
When Melissa approached she gave Takeshi the small leather drawstring bag that she used to carry the crystal seeds that her familiar favored.  
“It's her familiar, I collected the dust after it shattered.”  
She had taken the time to carefully gather what she could and Takeshi found himself grateful for the gesture.  
“It was hers, they should be together.”  
“Yes, they should. Thank you.”  
Emelie was the one to thank her though as Takeshi still remained silent, and while she did Takeshi helped Melissa place the pouch under the obi of the white kimono.  
Once the small bag was secured he gave Eriko a short nod to tell her they were ready and she began to weave her fox-fire into the futon and used it to lift it, and it's precious passenger, into the air at Takeshi's side as they slowly walked to the entrance of the annex that housed the Soul-tree.  


Takeshi paused at the entrance and allowed his aura to unfurl and flow freely before speaking for the first time since he stepped into Diane's room to prepare her for burial.  
“Avatar of Life! We seek your blessing to lay the last remnant of the life that was Diane Brown to her final rest beneath the Soul-tree. We ask that her spirit may join yours and her mortal shell nourish yours.”  
The words were ritual and Takeshi had already spoken to the Mother and asked permission to bury Diane in the Sanctuary and the Mother had granted it, telling him that he need not ask, anyone he considered worthy would be accepted in their final rest.  
_**“Enter my Chosen. Lay the mortal shell of my fallen child among my roots.”**_  
The bell like voice responded instantly and as it did the grass, moss and roots pulled away to reveal a shallow grave, just large enough to fit Diane's body.  
Eriko carefully guided her fox-fire to place the body within the grave and when the roots and grass began covering it Takeshi heard a low keening cry from the twins that grew in strength before morphing into a true howl as they shifted into their wolf forms and he allowed the shift to overtake him as well before adding his own voice to the primal song.  
Once the grave was fully covered the shimmering image of Diane's spirit appeared above it, just like how it had happened with his unit.  


“ _ **Come, enter and say your last farewell to your fallen friend.”**_  
The Mother's voice invited the others to approach the spirit and when Takeshi nodded they slowly entered the annex and gathered around the spirit.  
“She can't speak or hear in that form, you need to let her touch you.”  
Emelie explained to the others while holding out her hand to the spirit who instantly reached out and touched her hand, relaying a deep sense of gratitude.  
Takeshi remained behind until the others had left and once alone he kneeled down by the grave and waited for the spirit to touch him.  
_“I failed you. Those aiming for my life took yours instead and I failed to protect you.”  
“No, you saved me. You gave me a life worth living. My time may have been cut short, but I enjoyed my time here greatly. You gave me family, belonging, hope and happiness. And together with Em you showed me the true face of love.”_  
In death it seemed her spirit had gained a measure of maturity well beyond her years.  
_“I will find the ones behind this and I will avenge you, you have my word.”  
“I know you will. Thank you. For everything.”_  
With that the spirit stepped back and faded into the Soul-tree and Takeshi knew she would never show herself again, she had no reason to remain among the living.  
Takeshi spent a moment to gather himself before pulling his aura back into its usual tight curls and joining the others in the main chamber of the Sanctuary.  
As they started to leave Angel's small drone approached him and gently bumped into his shoulder.  
“Yes Angel?”  
“Take-san, may I remain here with this drone and explore this area?”  
He quickly reached out for the Mother and when she agreed he gave Angel his permission to study the Sanctuary.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Farewell_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


The mood lightened quite a bit during the walk back to the house as the twins were taking full advantage of their new senses to explore the nature around them.  
And the sight of a pair of black wolf pups running and stumbling around among the greenery brought smiles to everyone's faces despite what had happened, especially when they tried to stalk and catch the various insects, reptiles and birds that were hiding along the path.  
Eriko soon joined them and gave them a few pointers to the fine art of stalking your prey, and your sister's tail, which quickly turned into a game of _Catch the fox_ where they both cooperated to try to get an opportunity to pounce their prey.  
Even Dan's raijū joined the games in its smaller form, teasing both the twins and Eriko with small jolts of electricity that caused their fur to stand on end, a game that the twins storm-phoenix familiars quickly picked up and joined.  


During their walk back to the house the sky slowly darkened with clouds and just as they reached the garden in front of the house a gentle drizzle began to fall from the sky, as if the world itself shared their grief.  
They gathered in the large sheltered corner of the inner garden, talking and soothing each others pain and before long the younger girls were sleeping, the emotional day taking its toll.  
Takeshi carefully extracted himself from the sleeping twins and with a gentle nudge of his aura they shifted into their smaller puppy form before he placed them with the rest of his dozing pack.  
Dan had curled into Knight's chest and Emelie curled along Dan's back with a wing draped over all of them but when he approached with the twins she lifted her wing to allow him to place them on top of Dan who just muttered and shifted around to give them room to curl up before Emelie's wings draped over them again.  
“Watch over them, I need to check in with Angel.”  
Knight just nodded, expanded his aura to allow it to alert him if anything happened, and shuffled the bodies curled against him slightly before settling down again.  
When Takeshi reached the door he heard shuffling and a slight grunt followed by the patter of clawed paws on the flooring and looking behind him revealed the twins stalking after him.  
A look at Knight just gave him an amused smirk letting him know his beta had no intention of preventing the twins from leaving.  
“Girls I thought you were sleepy?”  
Their only reply was energetic bouncing and yipping, but he knew they would crash the moment he settled down in his study, his guess was that they didn't want him to be alone, they had acted the same way on other occasions.  


“Welcome back Take-san.”  
“Thank you Angel.”  
There was a short pause while the AI investigated the black pups that accompanied him and while they batted their paws at the tendrils of light Takeshi explained to the AI that it was just the twins new forms.  
As expected the AI complained a bit about the information being contradictory to her registered information complaining that human girls don't just suddenly become wolf pups.  
“Don't worry Angel. It's okay, just register the information as is. They are not human anymore, they are shapeshifters.”  
There was a slight complaint that humans didn't just change species but Takeshi told her to ignore it until later.  
“Girls, why don't you show Angel how you shift.”  
He watched with pride as they shifted to a more human form, not only did they have his hybrid form with dragon eyes and claws, they shifted nearly as fast as he did and he had no doubt they would be just as fast as him, maybe even faster, once they had some training.  
He found himself hoping that their souls would hurry up and manifest the power he had no doubt they possesses so that he could mark them as pack and he found himself somewhat surprised that they were his own feelings, without influence from the Beast.  
One benefit of Angels holographic displays was that he didn't need to stay at his desk to go through the information she had collected, instead he sat down in the small pile of pillows that formed a small sitting area in one of the corners of the room and the twins instantly returned to their puppy form and curled up into his lap.  


“Let's see what you managed to uncover, shall we?”  
The air in front of him instantly flickered to life and displayed quite a large number of pictures, each picture with a name and a number attached to them, some also had the kanji 死, death, in various colors in the corner of the picture.  
Angel quickly explained the system she had used to sort the files, the number ranked them according to the power the held within the company.  
The kanji represented those where she had been able to confirm knowledge of or some kind of involvement in the attack, red for those who were involved, various shades of orange and yellow for those who had prior knowledge of the plans and could have warned him or prevented it, green for those she had been able to confirm didn't know about it until after the event.

“What means of confirmation have you used?”  
“Meeting protocols and various electronic messages. People are rather open with their secrets when they believe their servers to be secure.”  
The AI's voice carried an amused pride that made Takeshi smirk, it was so much like Daniels' voice when she cracked a particularly tough system.  
“We need to find some way to confirm the rest of them before I act though.”  
There were nearly 200 files listed in front of him, and only about 30 were marked by the kanji.  
“I have a suggestion that could solve that problem. If I may?”  
The AI's words sparked his curiosity.  
“Go ahead.”

About half the files faded out and the remaining were highlighted, including all of the kanji flagged files.  
“None of these are innocent, they might not have been directly involved in the attack, or even had prior knowledge of it. But they have all been involved in various unethical dealings, so I suggest we go after all of them.”  
“I'm sure you have all kinds of dirt on them, but I can't justify killing them for unethical practices alone.”  
“Not kill them, ruin them. They value reputation, wealth and power over all, so take that away from them. Leave them nothing of what they once had. Let them suffer loss rather than the release of death.”  
The sudden laugh startled the twins and they looked up at Takeshi's grin in confusion.  
“Daddy, are you going to do something naughty?”  
“Oh yes! Something very _naughty_ !”  
His voice held an almost maniacal glee at the AI's suggestion as he asked her to elaborate, though, no matter what happened the shooter would have to die.  
He couldn't permit a gun for hire who was willing to shoot without a clean target to live.

“During my examination of the company I found that they have a rather impressive R&D department, one that could prove rather useful to your task. So I would suggest that we use your assets combined with my intel to perform a hostile takeover.”  
Before he could ask her to elaborate how Mandrake could be of use the display shifted to show a list of sub-departments of the R&D department.  
“Mechanics, Genetics, Bio-engineering, Cybernetics, Nanotechnology as well as a number of purely military disciplines such as stealth and weapons technologies.”  
The display shifted again to a more detailed view.  
“They have departments for Xenobiology, Quantum engineering and adaptations of Neuroprosthetics as well. But I also found more obscure departments including Cryptozoology, Demonology and Exobiology.”  
“So it's safe to assume they are aware of the existence of demons and others who are not entirely human?”  
“They are aware and have files on several such beings, yourself, Emelie, Logan and his steed included.”  
Takeshi cursed as the images flickered and displayed what information Angel had been able to gather.

  
Subject 468  
Kiryu, Takeshi  
Confirmed Classification: Shapeshifter  
Confirmed Abilities: Shape-shifting. Enhanced senses, strength, speed, durability and healing.  
Unconfirmed Abilities: Mind-control. Immortality. Invisibility.  
Origin unknown  


  
Subject 469  
Eriksson, Emelie  
Confirmed Classification: Greater Demon  
Confirmed Abilities: Secondary form. Flight. Enhanced strength, speed, durability and healing. Sensory manipulation. Induce panic. Teleportation.  
Unconfirmed Abilities: Mind-control. Immortality.  
Origin unknown.  


  
Subject 942  
Knight, Logan  
Classification: Unknown  
Confirmed Abilities: Demon summoning.  
Origin unknown.  


  
Subject 943  
Name Unknown  
Confirmed Classification: Lesser Demon  
Confirmed Abilities: Realm-walker.  
Origin: Demon Realm, Summoned creature  
  
  
“Dammit! This is not good.”  
Based on the subject numbering they had records of close to 1000 individuals who where _other_ or had abilities beyond that of a normal human.  
“I'm unsure how much information they have, most of the data is stored on non-networked computers. I have only been able to gather a small fraction of it by accessing security recordings. However the research into the abilities of demons and meta-humans in combination with their other research indicates they are trying to find a way to give regular humans superhuman abilities or control demons and meta-humans.”  
“Super soldiers...”  
“That would seem to be the case. The more information I uncover the more it seems the attack on you was not related to the GCTI take-down but rather an attempt to acquire _research material_ .”  
“They probably have access to my data from the GCTI so they know that despite my abilities I was just human back then, and now I am clearly _other_ and they want to figure out how.”

A gentle knock on the door interrupted the conversation and the scent of _matcha_ and _wagashi_ told him that it was Amanda bringing tea and with a slight nudge over the bond he invited her to enter.  
The moment she opened the door the suppressing barriers dropped which allowed the twins to sense her and they instantly bolted from his lap and nearly knocked Amanda over in their eagerness to greet her.  
“Okay, okay girls. How about you change back so you can join us for some tea?”  
Amanda laughed and ruffled their fur and once she was done they practically bounced back to Takeshi before shifting to their human form.  
“Angel, would you mind taking a break while I serve some tea?”  
“Of course not Manda.”  
The displays flickered and were replaced with the black winged angel that she had picked as her persona, now dressed in a simple but beautiful kimono instead of the usual elaborate gowns the AI walked over to the corner and kneeled down next to Takeshi and the twins, while she was not able to actually participate she would still join them.  
Even going as far as displaying holographic versions of the wagashi and the black _chawan_ with its golden _kintsugi_ pattern and going through the motions when it was her turn to be served.  
Amanda walked up to them slowly and with a deep breath she centered herself and began going through the familiar motions of the _Chadō_ , making sure to give the twins the slightly smaller, sweeter, _wagashi_ while giving Takeshi the savory treats he favored.  
Each plate also held a bamboo-tube _Mizu-Y_ _ō_ _kan_ and a _Kuzumochi_ wrapped in bamboo leaf, the ones on Takeshi's plate less sweetened than the rest.  
“You are getting quite skilled at making these.”  
Takeshi turned the small treats over and inspected the craftsmanship, they carried no flaws and the scent told him the flavor was well balanced to his personal taste and he had no doubt that the treats the twins had received were much sweeter than his own.  
After Amanda had cleaned up after the tea they sat down and relaxed, playing games and talking for a bit to let the twins relax again.

“You know Angel, with the Mandrake R&D resources we might be able to build you a real body so that you can join us when we head out to do things and not be confined within the house or the _Tiamat,_ or restricted to the drones.”  
“But what about that portable unit you are working on?”  
“Well, even if I manage to build that portable projector and sensor-array I have been working on you are rather limited with not being able to actually touch anything.”  
There was a long silence before the AI responded.  
“I think I would enjoy that.”  
She sounded somewhat hesitant and Takeshi realized that to some extent she was actually experiencing fear of the unknown and it seemed the twins picked up on it as well.  
“Don't worry, we can teach you how to be human!”  
Takeshi had no doubt that Angel would be able to pass for human if they could only make a realistic enough body for her.  
“Mandrake?”  
Amanda sounded somewhat confused and Takeshi quickly explained that the Mandrake Group were behind the attack that had claimed Diane's life.  
“So I guess they will be having quite a few deaths in upper management soon?”  
“Actually, no. Angel presented a different approach and I have decided to go with her idea.”  
“Oh, don't hold out on me. Let's hear it!”  
By the time Angel was done explaining her plan Amanda was laughing with a grin that would challenge even Takeshi's expression.  
“Oh that's positively wicked. I love it!”  
The glee in her voice called to Takeshi and soon they were all laughing.  
_“The shooter still dies, right?”_  
Amanda added silently.  
_“Of course.”_

“Angel, I trust that your plan is one that you will be able to handle by yourself?”  
Takeshi decided it was time to move on to the details.  
“For the most part. With your permission I can have most of the contracts handled digitally and sign them myself. There will however be a few physical signatures required including a meeting for witnessing the final signing. If additional financial backing is required they will probably want to speak with you personally.”  
Takeshi nodded and considered the request, there were restriction in place in the base code that forbade her from things like forging his signature without his explicit permission.  
It would be a good test though, to see how well she was able to perform more complex tasks, and he had made sure to give her extensive _training_ in financial management, hoping that the AI would be able to take over the much hated task of dealing with the yearly financial reports.  
“I want daily status reports, and if the contracts has any wording that is open to interpretation, especially to our disadvantage, I want you to run them by me before signing them. As for those wishing to speak with me try to convince them that a phone call or video-conference is sufficient, you should be able to pull of playing me for one of those, right?”  
“Of course.”  
The projection shifted into a perfect copy of Takeshi and her voice and body language matched perfectly.

“Okay, go ahead then. Show us what you can do.”  
“They won't know what hit them.”  
Takeshi had no doubt that the AI would be able to do it, she was D-Rex legacy, the child of Daniels' brilliant mind.  
“Angel, we need to create a proper identity for you first. I would like to register you as Daniels' daughter if that is okay with you. And then we can register you as being my personal attorney as well as secretary, it should make them more willing to deal with you.”  
“It would be most helpful, but Angel Daniels, that sounds a bit odd.”  
Takeshi had to agree the name did not sound very pleasing.  
“How about Angelica Daniels? Then Angel could be your nickname and it's not uncommon for people to prefer their nicknames over their given names.”  
Amanda's suggestion did sound a lot better and Angel quickly agreed to it and after a few moments her usual galaxy projection shifted into her human persona sporting a perfectly tailored gray skirt, low heels and her long black hair kept out of her face with a set of strict boxer braids that ended just below her knees.  
Light makeup, discreet jewelry, a pair of stylish, rimless glasses, gloves and a black leather briefcase completed the look.  
“Good day. My name is Angelica Daniels, I am the personal attorney of Takeshi Kiryu.”  
She introduced herself with a slight bow.  
“Very good. But introduce yourself as the legal representative for the _Onryō Group_ instead of my personal attorney when possible. I would prefer to keep the Kiryu name out of this.”  
“Vengeful spirit group?”  
Amanda's question held a barely suppressed laugh.  
“Indeed, I created it as a holding company a few years back. Seems rather fitting here, don't you think?”  
“You are insane, you know that?”  
“I do recall having been called that before...”  
His answer made Amanda give him a huffing sigh before pouncing him with a laugh and after a short scuffle he had her pinned under him and he leaned in and dragged his fangs along the unmarked left side of her neck begging for her permission.  
Once he received it he swapped side and sank slender fangs into the mark of the Blessing and stole a few drops of blood and moments later they were both at the edge and it took them a while to calm down.  
Amanda wasn't entirely pleased with it though but she accepted that he didn't want to push things until they had time and privacy.  
“Don't worry, once the Tiamat returns we will leave to explore this, a few days, maybe a week, just you and me.”  
“How long before it gets back?”  
“About a week”  
“Okay...”

When Takeshi and Amanda returned to the inner garden they found that the others had split up into small groups, offering each other comfort and support.  
“Aw, look at Dan and Jenna.”  
Amanda's soft whisper made him look in the direction where he felt Dan and Jenna's familiar and he found them leaning into each other with Alice and Anne sleeping curled up in their laps.  
“They are so cute.”  
“Mhm, indeed they are. What do you say we give them some competition for the _Cutest Couple_ trophy?”  
The teasing invitation had Amanda nodding with a smile and they quickly found an unoccupied pile of pillows and settled down with the twins in their laps.

“Do you think Dan and Jenna will become an item?”  
Takeshi was half asleep when Amanda's question brought his attention back to the here and now.  
“Possibly.”  
“And how do you feel about that?”  
Amanda's line of questions made Takeshi smile and tut at her.  
“Curious are we?”  
“Mhm.”  
“Well, I hope they do. It would be good for both of them.”  
“Even it means you're not a part of it anymore?”  
“Yes, even if that's where it ends up. Though I would of course prefer a polygamous relationship.”  
“Oh, greedy are we?”  
Her tone was light and teasing which made him huff and smile at her.  
“Indeed, I want you all to be mine. To love me, to bed me.”  
Now it was Amanda that tutted at him, but he ignored her and continued.  
“But I'm not asking to be your only one, I can't ask more of you than I ask of myself. If I have multiple partners then you can naturally have as well, and I would actually prefer if you do.”  
“Why?”  
He slowly began explaining about his views, about how he wanted to make sure they all had their needs taken care of, and his hope that there would be someone to take care of them in case something happened to him.  
By the time he was done Amanda was slightly subdued from the darker aspects of the conversation, bu her aura radiated understanding and calm acceptance, which soothed Takeshi's instincts and soon he drifted into a meditative half sleep.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Farewell_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


Takeshi waited two days to give everyone a chance settle down a bit before gathering everyone who lived at the island.  
“What's going on?”  
Julia sounded rather concerned.  
“Don't worry sweetie. It's just time to talk a bit about what we will do next.”  
“About Diane's killer?”  
“Indeed.”  
There was a bit of a stir as all the girls demanded that whoever was responsible for Diane's death had to die themselves.  
“Easy girls. I promise I will do everything I can to make sure her killer ends up dead.”  
It took a few minutes, but with his promise they did settle down so that he could continue.  


“Now, together with Angel I have been able to find out who it was that hired the one who tried to kill me, and why they did it.”  
He carefully explained about the Mandrake Group, about their research into people with abilities.  
“There are a lot of bad people working for them, but not bad enough to justify killing them. But Angel made a very good suggestion.”  
“What kind of suggestion?”  
“Anne, don't interrupt.”  
“Sorry.”  
Takeshi shook his head at her with a sigh before continuing, he had no doubt there would be more interruptions.  
“We will take away everything that they value, their money, their power, their reputations, leave them with nothing, and leave them alive to _enjoy_ their just reward.”  
The cheering that followed had the twins crying out in distress as the sudden, loud, sound overwhelmed their sensitive hearing, they had yet to learn to properly suppress their senses.  
“Oh no.”  
“Sorry.”  
“We didn't mean to.”  
The girls were instantly apologizing while the twins hid behind Takeshi in their pup forms, hissing and growling at anyone who tried to get close.  
“Easy girls, take a step back so I can help them calm down. The sudden loudness hurt their ears and scared them so they are running on instinct now.”  
“Oh, sorry...”  
There were more apologies, but they backed away and the voices were soft and gentle.  


“Ssh, easy girls. They didn't mean to scare you. Remember, I told you about loud noises and how they can hurt your ears and make your instincts give you all kinds of scary feelings.”  
Takeshi gently soothed the distraught pups and after a few minutes he had a pair sniffling girls in his lap.  
“There, there. All good?”  
“Mhm...”  


With the twins calmed down Takeshi continued to tell the girls about how they were planning on getting revenge on the ones behind Diane's death, and make sure the rotten apples in Mandrake got their due as well.  
“Now this is going to take a while because we need to make sure we have nice, tight, trap for them so they can't get away.  
“What about the one who killed Diane?”  
“We will get the shooter, and the one who gave the order, but it will have to wait until we have Mandrake, if we take the shooter before that we might spook them.”  
“Okay...”  
The older girls nodded in understanding, while the younger nodded in acceptance.  
“This means I will be working quite a lot with Angel to set this up, and I will be needing Dan to pay attention as well as I want him to be at my side for this. It will look good to have my head of security with me.”  
“So you won't have as much time to spend playing with us?”  
“That's right, but I don't want you to feel left out either. So how about we make a schedule to give each of you some time where you can choose what you want to do. Either just you and me, or others if you prefer.”  
As expected his suggestion triggered quite a debate, but in the end they agreed to his suggestion and they agreed they would work out the details after dinner.  


“That's the first point on the agenda, there are a few more so would you settle down please?”  
“Okay!”  
“I'm sure all of you have noticed that there has been a buildup of sexual tension between Manda and me.”  
“Duh.”  
“Even a blind person would notice that.”  
There was quite a few teasing quips and Takeshi allowed it for a while before flashing his fangs with a mock growl.  
“I have promised her to take a few days away on our own to be able to properly explore each other without needing to worry about being quiet, or about being interrupted by nosy little girls.”  
“About time!”  
Another round of teasing and complaining had Amanda blushing vividly before Takeshi silenced them with another mock growl.  
“I have a very good reason for waiting this long. Remember, despite how she looks she is still a 15 year old girl. I had to make sure she was ready for such a thing, and that her choice is made for the right reasons, without undue influence.”  
He took the time to explain his reasoning to them all, making sure they understood why it was so important to him.  
“So what's the plan?”  
Carol's voice held a teasing curiosity that made the others tease her and accuse her of being a perv.  
“When the Tiamat returns in a few days we will head out for a couple of days, maybe a week to give us time to explore without rush.”  
“Okay!”  
“I need you girls to behave for Em and the others while I'm away, can you promise me that?”  
There was a quick exchange of looks and the mood turned slightly somber.  
“We can promise we will try our best.”  
“That's all I ask for.”  


“Anything else or can we go now?”  
“Just one more thing.”  
“Okay.”  
“Would any of you like to help Jenna and Angel do a proper survey of the island?”  
“What kind of survey?”  
“We want to make a complete survey of what plants and animals lives here. We are also going to tag some of the animals to allow Angel to track them.”  
“So stuff like taking pictures and making traps to catch stuff?”  
Melissa stepped up into her usual role of speaking for the others.  
“Mhm. So, what do you think?”  
“Sounds like fun!”  
“Can we get extra biology credits for it?”  
“Yes Amy, I will make sure Angel logs the hours you put in so you can add them as fieldwork for credits. But remember, you will have to participate fully and keep proper records of everything, not just be there.”  
“I know.”  
“What **will** we be doing?”  
Anne leaned forward with avid curiosity.  


“Well, we have several different surveys to make, the water surveys and land surveys will be divided into several smaller parts. The tidal-pools for instance will be one area, and the lava-flow cliffs will be one.”  
“Manda and Lissa will be the only ones helping with the water ones, right?”  
The way Julia managed to look both hopeful and scared at the same time had Takeshi smiling.  
“For the deep ones at least, you can help with the shallow ones where you can wade or snorkel. I'm working on diving gear for all of you, but it will take me some time to get it all sorted. But there will be another chance next year.”  
“Can I help with the shark pups?”  
She instantly perked up when she heard that they would be allowed to help with the shallow water areas.  
“Of course. Who else want shark pup duty?”  
There was a quick conversation between the girls before they agreed that Julia and Anne would be on shark pup duty.  


“Anyone else have any special requests?”  
“Can Amy and I focus on reptiles?”  
“Well, if you add amphibians as well.”  
“Okay!”  
“You will have a bit of a special task though as you will be dealing with introduced species, some of them potentially invasive.”  
“We know.”  
“And you will need to keep an extra keen eye out for any blue-tailed skinks, they are supposed to be extinct in Hawaii, but I have a feeling the Mother might just revived a few in this protected habitat.”  
“We will!”  
“Remember you have to wear gloves, especially since we have a few poisonous frogs here.”  
“Yes Mommy...”  
There was a distinct huff in their tone telling him they thought he was being a mother hen again.  
“I'm serious. Some of those are really dangerous.”  
“We know.”  
The huff was replaced with a slight glare.  
“You have only told us about a million times. We remember, we're always careful.”  
“Of course you do, you are clever girls. But I will always worry, that's just how I am.”  
“Of course you will, you're a Mother Hen!”  
The accusation made everyone laugh and after a few moments Takeshi pounced with a mock growl and before long he had all the girls crying with laughter as he tickled them mercilessly.  


“Daddy, can we do the bugs?”  
Once calm again the twins piped up, tails wagging happily behind them.  
“I think we can agree on that, right girls?”  
There were nods all around and Takeshi made a note of Sarah and Maria on bug duty.  
“Sarah, Maria, how about you show me you can control that shift of yours?”  
“Okay.”  
A few moments later the tails were gone, but there was a clear pout on their faces.  
“There. Can bring them back now?”  
“We like having a tail!”  
“Okay. I just need to make sure you can handle keeping it hidden when necessary.”  
“We will practice really hard!”  
“we wanna learn to become mermaids and birds like Manda and Lissa!”  
“I bet you do, but you need to practice land animals first. Flying and swimming can be dangerous if you lose control.”  


By the time they were done dividing up the various tasks for assisting Jenna it was time for dinner, then it was the scheduling for the girls social time.  
“Angel, you can remove me from the schedule completely since I'll be going out on the Tiamat with Take, and I serve him his daily tea.”  
“Okay Manda.”  
Amanda's name instantly vanished from the holographic display.  
“You can remove us too if we get to join daddy for daily tea.”  
Sarah and Maria both looked at Takeshi, hoping that he would okay their request to have tea with him every day.  
“What do you girls think?”  
“It's less time and no activities, but every day.”  
“Sounds okay.”  
“I guess everyone is in agreement then. Angel would you make a note of that please?”  
“Of course Take-san”  
“Now Sarah, Maria, I want you to help Manda prepare the tea every day.”  
“Okay!”  
“I'll pick them up when I start preparations then.”  
Amanda quickly agreed.  


“So, one hour every day with one of you girls, and all of Sunday with everyone doing things together. Is everyone okay with this?”  
Everyone quickly nodded.  
“Excellent. Angel, will you note that down into the protocol please.”  
“Of course Take-san.”  
A holographic display whirled to life and showed the agreed upon schedule for the current and upcoming month.  
“Do you want me to upgrade the personal calendars with this information?”  
“Please do.”  
A moment later everyone's phoness beeped with a new calendar event alert.  
“Thank you Angel.”

 

 


	3. Expanding the Pack

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


It took a week for the _Tiamat_ to return to the island and once it was back Takeshi and Amanda spent another two days to make sure they had everything they would need for their little trip.  
They didn't want to have to worry about food so the galley and the storerooms had been packed full with meat and seafood.  
“Manda, are you ready to leave?”  
Takeshi could feel the rapid shift of emotions flow through her aura where anticipation and nervousness flickered back and forth together with desire and embarrassment, but beneath it all a strong determination flowed slow and steady.  


“Yeah, I'm good to go.”  
They stopped by the garden to say their goodbyes before heading out and the shifts in Knight's aura told Takeshi that Amanda had said something only for his ears, but he had a suspicion what it might be, especially considering her choice of _distraction_ while he changed her.  
The Beast just purred within, telling him that it was appropriate for her to come to the _alpha_ first, even if she wanted the  _beta_ as well, and that is was even more appropriate if the selected betas were an item.  
Takeshi pointed out that it was unlikely that they would become a couple other than possibly sexually, her interest in Knight was heavy with curiosity and a touch of lust, but it didn't carry any signs of any deeper emotions, though there was always the possibility that such feelings could develop with time..  


“Logan, _beta_. Watch over what is mine.”  
“With my life, _alpha_.”  
The words were more ritual than anything, Takeshi knew Knight would watch over the others in his absence and a gentle, questioning, brush against Eriko's aura rewarded him with a short nod, and a flicker of emotion that could only be described as the fury of a mother, she too would defend them with her life, especially the twins.  
The twins tried to follow them out but a sharp growl from Takeshi stopped them in their tracks and when Knight called for them to come back they obeyed, though grudgingly.  
Their pack instincts were still developing so the instinctive obedience toward older or more dominant members of the pack wasn't very strong yet, but it would gradually grow stronger.  


“Have fun kids!”  
Matthews called after them, voice heavy with teasing insinuation.  
“You better take _really_ good care of her Take!”  
Jenna quickly joined the teasing.  
“Maybe you should save some for her?”  
Matthews gave Jenna a teasing barb that had her bright red and spluttering before punching his arm, though nowhere as hard as she would punch Takeshi, mindful of Matthews somewhat fragile health.  
“Don't worry there's plenty to go around.”  
Takeshi couldn't resist joining the teasing, and to be honest, he wouldn't need any convincing should she invite him and the slight shift in her aura and scent told him it was quite possible it would come to pass.  
“Hmph, get in line. The next week or so, he is **all** mine!”  
Amanda grabbed his arm and started dragging him toward the door with a wide grin.  
“Easy with the claws sweetie, I'm coming.”  
Takeshi chuckled and turned to follow her before she shredded his sleeve.  
“And if that's the _goal_ , use _more_ claws! Or fangs!”  
Emelie called just as the door closed behind them and he could feel Kasumi's barely restrained amusement over the bond.  
“They are going to be even worse when we get back, aren't they?”  
“Oh yes, most definitely!”  
Takeshi laughed back at her before scooping her up and heading toward the lagoon in a dead run.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Manda, could you grab the box over there?”  
Takeshi grabbed the last of their bags from the catamaran tender before activating the autopilot and handing control of it over to Angel.  
“Of course. Where do you want it?”  
“Just put it in the galley for now. I doubt there's any room in the pantry for it. But no peeking, promise me!”  
The box contained a selection of the crystal fruits from the Sanctuary as well as a smaller bag with everything he needed to grow more of them on the Tiamat, he had snuck away during the night to get as a surprise for Amanda.  
“Okay, I promise.”  


There was an avid curiosity behind her words as she gently tilted the large box, testing how the weight shifted inside but he knew she would honor her promise and not try anything else to find out what was in the box.  
He headed up to the bridge to make sure everything was in order and to set the course for the atoll where he was planning to spend most of the upcoming week.  
It was large enough for the Tiamat to enter and to give them some shelter and while it was populated it was only a handful of _Kanaka Maoli_ , native Hawaiian, families who had chosen to settle there to live a more traditional life.  
They didn't mind him being there though, especially after he had helped them secure a very beneficial long time lease of the entire atoll as well as getting the atoll and the surrounding waters classified as a protected habitat, restricting boat traffic and prohibiting any large scale fishing and other activities that could be potentially harmful to the unique environment and habitats.  
His long term plans though were to purchase the area and set up a foundation that would in essence gift the land to the _Kanaka Maoli_ under the terms that they enforce and abide by a strict habitat conservation protocol.  


“Angel, mind taking over?”  
“Of course not, when would you like to arrive?”  
“Have us there by dinner please.”  
“As you wish. Have a good time”  
Takeshi could swear there was a hint of teasing amusement in the voice and he once again found himself wondering just how sapient, how human the AI really was.  
A quick flare of his aura told him that Amanda was in the owner's suite, probably unpacking her bags.  


Takeshi headed down into the galley and picked up the box of Sanctuary fruits and with well practiced moves he quickly peeled and cut them into pieces before picking up the large melon that had been a little surprise from the Mother.  
The melon was unlike any other he had ever seen, it was the size of a large watermelon but the rind and flesh was pure white and along with the crisp sweetness he could smell from it, it reminded him of the Japanese sprite melon.  
Bringing out one of his _Maguro B_ _ōchō_ , a long knife normally used to fillet large tuna, he cut the melon in half before using his claws to make a series of v-cuts, giving him a pair of melon bowls.  
He carefully used a melon baller to dig out balls of the melon and when done he added the other fruits as well.  
The uneven pieces and scraps were put through the juicer and poured into molds and placed into the quick freezer, another useful creation from Sanctuary crystals, it could freeze anything in a matter of moments.  
A few minutes later Takeshi had two large bowls filled with a mix of fruits, berries and frozen juice balls, all topped of with sprigs of mint and thyme and a mix of edible flowers which he brought to the lounging area on top of the owner suite.  


“Manda, would you join me for a moment?”  
The look on Amanda's face when she spotted the bowls of fruit was well worth the effort of picking, and hiding the fruits from her.  
“I thought you said I needed to stop eating so much fruits and vegetables.”  
She was smiling widely, and her tone was teasing.  
“These are fruits from the Sanctuary, unlike regular fruit they will be able to sustain your new metabolism fairly well. Though the Mother did warn me that they might make you a bit _thirstier_ that normal.”  
“Doubt that will be an issue.”  
Amanda was practically beaming and flashed her fangs at him between the bites as she tried all the different fruits in the bowl.  
“No, it won't.”  
He agreed with a laugh before bringing up the real reason for needed to talk to her.  


“I know you would prefer if I mark you as pack later, but I'm not sure I will be able to maintain sufficient control. When marking Logan I nearly marked him as _mate_ rather than pack, the only reason I didn't is because he is unable to form a full mating bond.”  
He could feel the drop in her mood, but there was little choice in matter.  
“But I am...”  
“You are. So to be safe I need to claim you as pack before going any further.”  
“It's going to hurt a lot more without _distractions_ , isn't it?”  
“Probably, but it really depends on how much you fight me. Dan barely felt anything because he instantly submitted totally to me while Logan went through total agony.”  
“Because he's like you, born to lead, to be the _Alpha_ , right?”  
“Yes, you are not as dominant, but you are strong, independent, and as stubborn as they get...”  
She huffed in annoyance and glared at him for a moment before breaking down in laughter.  
“I guess I am. So chances are I might fight you quite a bit even if I try not to?”  
“I'm sure you will. But I still think that would be better than risking the marking while I'm not in full control.”  
There was a few minutes of silence before Amanda finally answered him.  
“I guess you're right. After all, I may be crazy in love with you, but I'm still just looking to get laid, not married.”  
She grinned at him while taking another sip of the champagne he had served with the fruit.  
It was decided that once they arrived at the atoll they would eat, then proceed with the marking and take things from there, it all depended on how draining the marking would be for her and Takeshi was hoping she wouldn't put up to much of a fight.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Take-san, we have company.”  
Takeshi and Amanda were in the galley making preparations for dinner when Angel alerted them that a group of people on _wa'a_ canoes were approaching the Tiamat.  
“Let's go greet our hosts before we do anything else, shall we?”  
Takeshi put the piece of meat he was working on back into the cooler and motioned for Amanda to follow him as he headed toward the door.  
“I though we went here so that we wouldn't be disturbed?”  
Amanda was somewhat surprised, and confused to learn that there were people living at the atoll.  
“Don't worry. They won't bother us. They are probably just dropping by to make sure it's me and not someone else with the same kind of yacht.”  


They quickly headed out to the swim platform and were greeted by calls of _Aloha_ and hands waving the _Shaka_ sign at them.  
“Aloha!”  
Takeshi returned the greeting and a few moments later Amanda followed his lead.  
The younger children of the group started examining the _Tiamat_ with avid curiosity, swimming and paddling their small wa'a around it while the pair of elders directed the teens to watch over the younger ones while they moved their large wa'a closer so that they could hold a conversation without raised voices.  
While they spoke Takeshi noticed that the blind old matriarch seemed to be very focused on Amanda and when he focused on seeing the energies around them it became obvious that she was not as blind as her eyes led one to believe.  
The way her aura gathered and swirled in the pupil-less silvery eyes told Takeshi that she was able to at least see auras, if not more.  


“You are a seer.”  
He slowly allowed his aura to unfurl as he spoke and the old woman's aura flickered with surprise at his statement and as his aura was released hers shifted into understanding.  
“As are you.”  
“I see more than most, but I am no seer.”  
“Your control is remarkable, unlike your young friend here I never suspected you were more than human.”  
There was a flicker of concern from Amanda when she realized that the old woman knew she was not really human anymore.  
“Don't worry Manda, normal people won't be able to tell you are different. And in time you will learn to keep your aura under control so it won't reveal you.”  
Takeshi paused for a moment and considered the situation.  
“Angel, make sure the eye-in-the-sky can't see us please.”  
The same energy-field that protected their island and the estate from extreme weather also affected the camera equipment on the numerous satellites that circled the earth, preventing them from seeing the people beneath, hiding their abilities.  
Takeshi could feel the slight tingle as a similar field powered up, it had taken quite a bit of effort to create a field generator that Angel was able to activate since she had no aura of her own to manipulate the crystals with.  
“We are hidden.”  
Angel confirmed that the field was active.  
“Good, thank you.”  
Allowing the shift that hid his eyes to drop he turned to Amanda.  
“Manda, why don't you show our hosts what you truly are?”  
_“Are you sure?”_  
Her silent words carried hesitation and concern.  
_“Yes, go ahead.”_  


There were several gasps as Amanda shifted into her chosen form and slid into the water and with a flick of her tail she swam down under the larger _wa'a_ and appeared next to the old woman.  
“A daughter of the Sea. I have not seen one of your kin since my great great great grandmother was laid to rest among the waves.”  
“I'm not really their kin though. I was born human.”  
Amanda's words confused the old woman and Takeshi decided to explain a bit of it.  
“Her soul is reincarnated from Atlantis, when she received the Blessing of the Mother she was able to alter her form into one that suited her soul.”  
There was a slight sense of distress from Amanda as several of the children had drawn close and were now slipping into the water to come closer.  
“Please... Don't come any closer.”  
She began to draw back and with a flicker of panic she flipped around and swam down toward the bottom of the lagoon, leaving a group of very disappointed children at the surface.  


“Why doesn't she like us?”  
“She is scared that she will hurt you. Noticed how her tail and fins looks a bit like a lionfish?”  
The children quickly nodded.  
“Like the lion-fish she has spines in her fins that release a really strong venom, much stronger than that of lionfish or scorpionfish. She is still learning to control it so she worries that you will try to touch her and get hurt, maybe even killed.”  
They instantly promised they wouldn't try to touch her if she just came back so that they could see her.  
“I will ask her, but I can't promise she will come back up while you are so close.”  
They reluctantly moved back a bit to give her some space.  
_“Manda, come back. I have explained and they won't try to touch you. It's okay, you won't harm them.”_  
When she returned to the surface there was awed whispers from the younger children.  
“Wow, she is really pretty!”  
One of the girls blurted out and instantly blushed when Takeshi turned to her.  
“She is, isn't she? The prettiest little fish in the sea.”  
Amanda crossed her arms and harrumphed at him, but the creeping blush and the twinkle of a smile in her eyes completely ruined her attempt to look miffed and when he beckoned her with a finger she glided over to the swim platform.  
The older teens and young adults in the group erupted into cheers and wolf-whistles when Takeshi pulled her closer and gave her a teasing kiss.  
“Angel, lower the platform please.”  
When the swim platform lowered beneath the surface Amanda slid up on it and into his lap.  
While she could easily get up on the platform while it was above the water she didn't like having her tail out of the water, claiming that the air made it itch.  


They spent quite a while talking to the locals and it wasn't until the sun began to paint colors across the sky that the elders began shooing their charges toward land.  
Amanda leaned back against Takeshi to watch the sunset, but the otherwise perfect moment was disrupted rather efficiently when a loud rumbling from her stomach made Takeshi break down into laughter.  
“How about we go get that dinner we were working on?”  
She never answered him, but he could feel the tail that was wrapped around him shift and change into a pair of legs wrapped around his waist and he picked her up and headed toward the galley.  
He was just about to ask Angel to raise the platform when he heard the telltale sound of it rising behind him, so he focused on carrying Amanda inside.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


They made quick work of the food that had been selected for dinner and retreated to the sitting area outside the owner's suite to enjoy a dessert of fruits and champagne.  
“Take, can I have some?”  
The way hunger flower through her aura gave him a good idea what she wanted, the lengthening of her fangs confirmed it.  
“I need you to wait a bit, okay? I promise it will be well worth it.”  
He watched her struggle to suppress her hunger, fighting instincts, trying to force her fangs to shorten to their normal appearance.  
“Ssh, easy. You can do it. Just like we practiced.”  
He waited for her to settle down, pulling her into his lap and wrapping himself around her, body and spirit, soothing her aura with his own and once he felt her settle he knew it was time.  


“Manda, sweetie, are you ready to become one of mine? To become a part of my pack?”  
She shifted position slightly and there was a deep inhale followed by a slow exhale as she steadied herself, allowing the power he had woven into his voice to fully grasp her.  
“As ready as I will ever be.”  
“Remember what we talked about, what to expect?”  
“Yeah, if I fight you, your dominance, it will hurt. The more I fight, the more pain.”  
He had tried to find a way around it, but there didn't seem to be one, he had even asked the Mother but She had only confirmed what the Beast was telling him, that while Amanda was okay with it, her new instincts would probably rebel and fight him.  
“Everything we have been able to find out about your nature indicates that outside of mating bond you a are solitary creature. The risk is that your instincts will fight me with every ounce of power you possess.”  
“That's why you wanted me to wait with taking your blood, right? Less power for me to fight with.”  
It wasn't the entire reason, but he wasn't about to ruin her surprise so he just nodded.  
During Knight's heat the Beast had told him that while a pack bond normally required the agreement of the one being claimed there was a way to force a pack claiming, by completely overpowering the person and forcing them to submit.  
That, however was a very painful procedure and he hated having to put her through it.  
“Less power to fight me with should make it faster, but I'm not going to sugarcoat this, it will hurt. But we need to do this first because it will be even worse if I lose control and try to claim you in the heat of the moment.”  
“Let's do this then.”  
She shifted in his lap to allow him access to her left shoulder while also allowing him to get a good hold on her, she would do what she could not to fight him, but that might not make much of a difference once her instincts kicked in.  


Takeshi quickly undid the seals that kept his power bound, he didn't want to give her time to adjust. _  
“I'm sorry...”_  
The apology for the pain he was about to cause her transmitted through his aura as he bit down and began to pour his power into her and for a moment there was no reaction, she seemed to accept him without struggle.  
The backlash was sudden and almost caught Takeshi by surprise but he was able to wrap his aura around the flaring energy while his jaws and arms clamped down tightly to keep her in place, pouring more and more energy into her.  
Her cry of agony as she fought him tore into his very soul and he prayed that she would run out of power fast so that she wouldn't need to suffer anymore.  
Reaching deep inside he pulled out more power, pouring all the power he was able to control into her completely smothering her energies with his own.  


“ _Hang in there sweetie. It should be over soon.”  
_Her energies kept rising with his and then suddenly she seemed to just fold in on herself, all resistance gone and she allowed his aura to flow freely throughout her own, forever sealing the bond and marking her as pack.  
To his relief her pain instantly faded and was replaced by a deep exhaustion, something he was about to do something about as soon as he was done.  
_“Ssh, easy. The worst is over now.”_  
He quickly pulled a scale from his tattoo and used a claw to cut a small incision between the marks from his fangs and slid the scale in under her skin where it intermediately began to change.  
There was no surprise when it began to spread down her torso and down her leg, mimicking his own dragon, he knew she would be delighted to find that her human form now carried the same pattern as her mermaid form.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


When he pulled her closer and pushed her head into the crook of his neck he could feel the simmer of confusion mixed with hunger and desire.  
“Go ahead, you need to replace what you spent fighting me.”  
There was a brief moment of total stillness before she grasped what he was offering and sank her fangs into his neck with a sigh of utter delight and he could feel the amusement flooding her aura as she picked up on his physical response to the sensation if her fangs sinking in.  
_“Em was right, all you need is more fangs.”_  
She dragged her claws down across his chest as she shifted position, mindful not to let her fangs slide as she straddled him.  
“Slow down sweetie, we have all week.”  


He carefully stopped her hand from moving any further down and guided it into exploring his tattoo instead while he dragged his claws along the scales that were quickly forming in her new markings, testing her responses, he wanted to know if their sensitivity was any different in her current form.  
The shuddering gasp and spike in pheromones told him that she did at least share some of that sensitivity.  
Her fangs slowly slid out of his neck and as she began to trace nibbling kisses along his shoulder he could feel the intensity of her emotions in her aura and over the bond.  
Her smoldering desire was quickly growing into an inferno of lust and her eagerness was turning almost desperate so he shielded himself from her slightly so that he wouldn't lose the control that he had been struggling to maintain ever since her change.  
“No need to rush things _sweetie_. Let's take this slowly and enjoy ourselves.”  


He needed her to slow down, even though her transformation had made her far more durable and able to heal rapidly as well as matured her body it would still probably hurt her quite a bit if they rushed things.  
Reaching for the new, deeper bond he began to pull and push at her energies, slowly encouraging her to synchronize with him.  
“That's it, feel me. Let yourself flow with me. Trust me, surrender to me.”  
He knew he would never be able to put to words the feeling when her aura began to blend and synchronize with his own, even with Emelie he had never been able to gain such a total connection.  
Despite their deep emotional bond Emelie would always hold back because she feared that her powers would hurt him, and now that he was feeling just how amazing it could really be he became even more determined to find a way to get her past her fears.  


“ _ **It would be even better with a true mating-bond.”**_  
The Beast's tone held promise and amusement and Takeshi realized that it had been oddly absent since they left their island and he questioned it about why.  
_**“You have repeatedly reminded me that you need all the control you can get when dealing with an inexperienced lover to make sure you do not scare them, or hurt them needlessly. So I will withdraw until she is better able to handle our combined attentions.”**_  
The silent words were accompanied by the protective possessiveness that Takeshi had learned to interpret as the emotional equivalent to the word _Pack_ , in this case it carried more meaning than just the word though, it carried their combined distaste for doing anything that could harm their pack.  


Sharp fangs tugging at his lip brought his attention away from the Beast and focused it solely on Amanda which earned him a chuckle from the Beast as it retreated deeper within his mind.  
He was rewarded with a startled squeak when he grabbed her tightly and rose from the couch and began moving toward the door that led into the sleeping area and the waiting bed.  
“So eager...”  
He teased when the scent of her arousal grew heavy around them, he enjoyed the sharp spike of annoyance that sifted through her scent when he tossed her onto the bed, the sharp bite of it mixing well with the warm, heady, spice of lust.  
“Hey! I liked that bikini!”  
She complained with a startled hiss when he used his claws to get rid of the scrap of cloth rather than trying to untangle the various straps.  
“I can buy you ten new ones when we get back to the estate.”  
His words were followed by a sharp nip that effectively pushed her mind elsewhere.  
It wasn't long before he had her begging and cursing while struggling for breath and he silently agreed with her, but forced himself keep teasing her, to make sure she was as ready as possible.  


“ _Please!”_  
Her voice refused to obey her so she called out with her very soul, trying to make Takeshi move on and stop teasing her.  
A part of her understood perfectly well why he was doing it, and she was grateful for it, he was by no means a small man, _male_ , and he was well endowed even for his size, she knew there would be pain but didn't want to wait any longer.  
_“Gomen ne.”_  
When she felt the whispered apology rather than hear it she knew it was finally time, she would finally get what she had been longing for, what had been in her dreams long before her change.  
She would never admit it to anyone, but Takeshi had stirred something inside her that night in L.A when she watch him shift from wolf to man, intent on killing the monster that had ordered her father killed so that he could sell her without anyone looking for her.  


Takeshi tried to be gentle, but the sharp flare of pain in her aura and over the bond was expected, though much to his relief if faded quickly and gave way to desire, and pleasure.  
“Wow...”  
The soft gasp told Takeshi she was ready for him to increase his efforts  
“Easy sweetie, breathe. This is just the beginning.”  
Slowing down he encouraged her to breathe and relax, he didn't want her over the edge just yet.  
“Focus on your aura like you did before. Synchronize with me.”  
It took every ounce of control for him to be able to speak but it was worth it as she relaxed slightly and her soul opened up to him, utterly and completely.  
With their auras synchronized it didn't take long for both of them to reach their end and crash into the abyss together.  


“You. Are. Amazing.”  
Takeshi breathed into her hair while struggling to make sure he didn't put his entire weight on her before carefully rolling to the side and pulling her into his arms.  
“Not that I can compare, but I think that was okay.”  
Amanda's voice was breathless, but there was no mistaking the teasing tone, nor the happiness.  
“I think we can still make some improvements. It takes time to get to know a new lover, to learn all those sensitive spots. To learn those little things that will drive your partner insane.”  
“Oh, what kind of things?”  
Her eagerness to learn made Takeshi smile into her hair.  
“I enjoy quite a bit of pain, especially from being bitten or scratched. Including in intimate places.”  
There was a moment of silence before her hand slowly moved down to his groin.  
“Even here?”  
“Mhm...”  
His pulse spiked in anticipation when slender but strong fingers wrapped around his flaccid member and he could feel himself slowly harden again.  
“Oh my, I guess so. I take it this is one of the benefits of being more than human?”  
“Actually, I was quite capable of repeat performances even as a human.”  
His teasing quip earned him a rather harsh squeeze which made him groan with a mix of pain and pleasure, and instantly had him rock hard again.  


From there things quickly turned into another round of sex, though this time it was slower, more focused on learning, and teaching, as Takeshi showed Amanda how to read his aura, how to let it tell her what he liked.  
“I would never had thought **that** was a thing...”  
Amanda was blushing vividly while trying to catch her breath.  
“Oh, we are just getting started. This was just human nails and teeth, imagine the things we could enjoy with the claws and fangs of the blessing...”  
“I like the sound of that.”  
Amanda practically purred in his ear.  
“Right now I suggest we get some sleep though.”  
“Mmm, maybe. Hold me...”  
“Of course sweetie. I do love my cuddles.”  
“Weirdo...”  
Moments later Amanda was sleeping, and Takeshi allowed himself to drift into a state of relaxing meditation, he would try to get some proper sleep later when Amanda was fully rested.  


 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


The following week they spent almost all their time figuring each other out and Takeshi found that Amanda was a curious and eager lover, and she was very vocal about what she wanted, something he really enjoyed.  
And her curiosity was contagious, she eagerly wanted to try anything and everything that came to mind, some things he hadn't even thought about himself.  
Of course not everything ended up being enjoyable, but they found quite a few things that either both, or one of them, enjoyed, and Takeshi was quite willing to give her the things she enjoyed simply to see her come undone under his touch.  
He quite frequently found himself being the one coming undone though as Amanda was a quick learner and combined with her avid curiosity she had quickly found quite a few effective ways to push him to the edge and over.  
He especially enjoyed how she made use of her paralytic venom.  


.·:*¨¨*:·.-Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.  


“Take, I want to try something.”  
“Oh?”  
She held up a clawed finger with a small drop of venom glinting at the tip of the claw.  
“Please don't fight it.”  
He gave her a soft nod, part permission, part promise, curious about what she had in mind.  
He had thought of quite a few things she could be up to, but her wrapping her clawed hand around his erection and allowing her claws to prick him was not one of the things he had considered and it made him hiss in surprise.  
He quickly found it to be very enjoyable though as the numbing effect of the small dose of venom allowed her to tease him, compensating for her lack of control and experience it gave her the advantage needed to keep him on the edge for what felt like an eternity.  


“Oh my, I think you liked that...”  
She was propped up on an elbow, looking down at his face as he basked in the afterglow of a very intense release.  
“I did, a lot.”  
Pulling her head down he kissed her softly, allowing the kiss to relay his gratitude for her having taught him something new.  
“My amazing Manda.”  
She huffed at his words before allowing her body to relax, falling into his arms and the soft, emotional, kisses.  


.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.  


 

As much as Takeshi enjoyed his little getaway with Manda and would have loved to stay longer they quickly found themselves at the end of the allotted week.  
“Sorry sweetie, we did promise we would only be gone for a week.”  
“I know.”  
There was a slight hint of hesitation and doubt in her voice that made him want to reassure her.  
“Manda, there is no going back from this for me, you are pack, you are in my blood, my very soul, and you will always be welcome in my bed, though you will have to share, there is no way around that.”  
“I know that too. It's just... I really enjoyed us being alone like this.”  
“As did I, a lot. And don't worry, I'm sure the others will agree to us sneaking away a few days here and there.”  
“So a yearly retreat?”  
“Mhm, we should definitely try to at least.”  


Short getaway trips would probably be a necessary solution for his pack in the future, especially if he added more lovers to it, even if everyone respected each other's privacy it still wasn't the same as being truly alone with each other.  
Right now though Takeshi had a lot of work to do, he needed to work with the twins on their control of the blessing, he needed to make sure Emelie had fed properly while he was gone, and he needed to work with Angel not just on on the Mandrake project and finding Diane's killer, but also on building her a fleet of drones.  


“Come on, let's head back.”  
Takeshi gave Amanda a gentle nudge to get out of bed and she complied with a soft grumbling.  
“How about I start teaching you how to pilot the Tiamat while we head back?”  
“I rather let Angel drive so we can cuddle on the sundeck.”  
“What do you think of that Angel?”  
“I would be more than happy to. You enjoy the last few hours of your vacation.”  
“Thank you Angel.”  
Both of them thanked the AI before moving up the stairs to the roof sundeck.  


“Manda, do you remember what I told you about what will happen when we return?”  
“The others, the pack. The will test me a bit when we get back. Make sure I'm worthy.”  
Takeshi nodded, though he knew it wouldn't be a real test, Emelie had made clear that she wanted this, she had been urging him to hurry up and get it done so she would probably settle for submission.  
Knight would tease her as well as demand that she submit, but he would accept her as well, the only reaction he was unsure of was Dan's, though he knew that Dan would ultimately defer to him and accept his choice in taking her in.  
There was still a risk that Dan might give her a bit of a hard time though.  
“I don't think they will give you too much trouble, but Dan might be a bit harsher than the others.”  
“Because I feel like a beta, right? Making me competition?”  
“That too, but remember, Dan has some insecurities, and he is a bit possessive.”  
“Making me competition in more ways than one...”  
“Indeed.”  
“Don't worry alpha. I will be careful with him.”  
“Thank you sweetie.”  


When they arrived at their island they were greeted by Stormborn and the dolphin pod as well as Melissa and her familiar circling them in the air and he could feel the others on the beach, waiting for their return, no doubt to tease and harass them.  
_“Daddy!”_   
He was greeted by a pair of black blurs that turned into furry half-forms before hitting him squarely in the gut, but the pain was quickly forgotten as he found himself nearly overwhelmed with pride when he looked at their partial shift.  
It was an intentional blending of forms, one that spoke of purpose and control.  
“Hello girls.”  
He ruffled their hair and _accidentally_ nipped at Maria's tails as her energetic tail-wagging made her tail repeatedly smack him in the face.  
“Your kits have been hard at work, practicing their transformation, learning to interpret scents and sound no human could detect.”  
Eriko's praise had the twins beaming with joy and they didn't even correct her on her use of kits rather than pups, and Takeshi found himself doing it in their stead.  
“Of course! After all, you are my little pups, aren't you?”  
They agreed with vigorous nodding and gleeful yips, so loud that Takeshi nearly missed Eriko's next words.

“They even found their true power while you were away. They are true soul healers your little ones, I am sure that they will one day rival even the Kyūbi of the House of Snow.”  
The pure white kitsune of the northern house were renowned for their healing powers, legends had it that their Kyūbi, nine tailed foxes, could heal any illness or injury, some even claimed they could raise the dead and grant immortality, though the last parts were just that, legends.  
Their skill at healing was well renowned though.  
“Is that so girls?”  
“Yeah!”  
“So, how did that happen?”  
He could feel Emelie and the others of his pack greet Amanda but he didn't pay much attention, he knew she would manage on her own, instead he focused on the twins to hear just how they had found the power.

“We were down at the tidal-pools and Julia slipped on a rock and fell and she hurt her arm really bad.”  
Takeshi instantly looked at Julia but he could see no trace of any injuries on her arms or hands.  
_“Her arm was sliced open from the wrist to the elbow, I feared I would have to use blood-magic to save her life.”_  
Takeshi could feel a shiver of ghost pain as Eriko showed him her memories of the incident, the injury had been a severe one.  
“She was bleeding so much, it was really scary. And it hurt so much, we could feel it.”  
He knew that they were empaths, they would always know when someone was in pain and they always tried to fix it.  
“We tried to lick it like you do but it wasn't working fast enough and it hurt really bad when we did.”  
That it had worked at all was a testament to their strong nature and Takeshi could feel the pride of his Beast mix with his own.  
“But then we felt it, like when we play with the foxfire Eriko gave us. It was warm and we just knew if we could pull out that warm feeling like we do the foxfire it would help her.”  
He would have to watch them do it to know for sure, but he had a feeling he knew how they had done it even if they were unable to fully explain it themselves.

“It was really pretty, like a rainbow. But it smelled... Green?”  
He couldn't help laughing at their confusion about the scent, he had gone through the same in the beginning, it was a form synesthesia, scents would associate to colors, not just how the scent of grass and forests would make you think of green, or the scent of blood brought on the image of red.  
Life smelled green, death was a muddy brownish black, anger, and lust, was a flaming red while hatred was a muddy red streaked with black, happiness and contentment shifted in pinks and purples that sparkled with gold and silver while sadness and depression was a drab, blueish gray, like an overcast sky.  
“That's right, life, health, healing, they all smell a bit like green.”  
“Smells are weird.”  
“Don't worry. You will get used to it. Now go on, tell me the rest.”  
They quickly described how they had pulled out the green smelling rainbow energy and it had flowed against Julia's arm, instantly taking away her pain and stemming the flow of blood before knitting together her flesh until there was no trace of an injury, not even a scar.

“You did really well girls, a pride for any pack.”  
They instantly stilled and looked at him with wide eyes.  
“Does that mean we...?”  
“Yes, if you can stand to wait until we get back to the house?”  
It seemed his little pack was in for a quick expansion, though he already considered the twins to be pack it would feel good to make it formal so that all who could feel such bonds would know.  
His words were met with cries of joy and the twins hurried over to the rest of his pack to share the news and he joined them to check on Amanda, she was tired and slightly subdued but he could feel Emelie's energy slowly spreading along the mark and both Knight's and Dan's scent was heavy on her, proof that she had been fully accepted into the pack.  
As the energies and scents that were pack greeted him another piece of the puzzle of understanding what pack truly was slipped into place and he could feel the contentment and pride radiate through his very soul.

“Come on girls, race you back to the house.”  
They instantly shifted and took off while Takeshi stayed in his human form and chased after them using only what he would have been capable of before his own change, giving them at least some chance to win.  
As they were about to enter the front garden he put on a burst of speed to catch up to the twins and quickly scooped up the pups before leaping onto the the roof and then dropped down into the inner garden.  
Putting the squirming pups down he was rewarded with wagging tails and playful growls and he played along for a moment before giving them a low growl that demanded they submit  
The reaction was instant as they rolled over on their backs in submission, but the eager wagging of their tails and the way they batted at his face as he leaned in to nuzzle them told him that they understood that his growl hadn't been a true demand for submission.  
It was a very good sign that they were adapting to their instincts well.  
Moments after he pulled back he once again had two little girls scrambling to get into his lap.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


 

“So, do you want to wait for the others, or are you in a hurry?”  
“Hurry!”  
Takeshi just smiled at the expected response and beckoned them to join him in the large armchair.  
“I'm first, right?”  
“That's right Sarah, you are the firstborn. Sorry, Maria.”  
“It's okay...”  
He could tell she was a bit disappointed that her sister would get to go first again, but it needed to be done or risk upsetting the fine balance of energies.  
He pulled Maria close and gave her a kiss on the forehead before tucking her close to his side and turning to Sarah.  
“This might hurt a bit, but you have to bear with it and not fight me, if you fight me it will just hurt more. Okay?”  
“Yes, Alpha! Eriko explained it.”  
“Good. Let's do this then.”

He carefully shifted her to get better access to her left shoulder and the way she instantly submitted was a relief as it would probably spare her any pain other than that of his fangs.  
When he sank his fangs in there was a flare of energy and for a moment he was worried she would fight him, but the energy didn't resist him, instead it seemed to follow his own back through the forming mark and he realized she was instinctively trying to leave her own mark on him.  
He pushed the energy back gently and carefully shifted her so that she could reach the inside of his right wrist without him needing to withdraw his fangs.  
_“Here, bite down. Your instincts will know what to do.”_   
A set of razor sharp puppy teeth instantly bit down and the energy refocused there and seeped into the small wounds and he found himself curious to see what their marks would look like, he had no doubt that Maria would do the same as her sister.  
He pulled his fangs out and waited for Sarah to withdraw hers, it took her quite a while for her to focus her aura enough to form the mark but he just leaned back and allowed her to take her time.  
Once she withdrew her fangs he placed one of the scales from his tattoo into the mark on her shoulder before nodding to Maria that it was her turn.  
He repeated the process but Maria having seen what her sister did went straight for the mark left by Sarah and sank her tiny but needle sharp fangs into it only moments after he bit down on her shoulder.

When the others stepped out to the inner garden the twins were fast asleep in Takeshi's lap and he was carefully inspecting his new _tattoo_ , the twins' mark took the form of a simple two strand rope curled around his wrist and on the inside of his wrist it formed an eternity knot from which a pair of rainbow phoenix feathers hung.  
“A new tattoo? When did you have that done?”  
Emelie peeked over his shoulder with curiosity.  
“Not a tattoo, feel it.”  
“It's... It's the twins, they marked you?”  
“Well I **am** yours just as much as you are mine so when their instincts reached out to place their mark I allowed it and guided them.”  
“Well, it's beautiful, though maybe not really your style.”  
She teased a bit, and she was right, the colorful feathers was not a design he would have picked himself, but it was the image that represented the very soul of the twins and he would carry it with pride.  
He made sure he wouldn't disturb the twins before getting up to properly greet Emelie, wrapping her in his aura and teasing her into a scorching kiss, testing her energies to make sure she hadn't neglected her feeding and he was happy to find that she had fed recently, probably the previous night.  
Turning to Knight he gave a very similar greeting, though with a peck in the corner of his mouth rather than a full on makeout session, Dan however was a bit skittish and backed away slightly when Takeshi turned to greet him and when he reached out for his aura it withdrew slightly.

“Dan, don't hide from me. Never hide from me...”  
A few quick steps and Takeshi had Dan pinned against one of the pillars that supported the small section of roof that protected part of the deck from rain and he began to poke and pull at Dan's aura to encourage him to let go so that he could figure out what was wrong but Dan just turned away and refused to look at him.  
“Dan, enough. What's wrong?”  
Takeshi wove a light suggestion into his words, just enough so that Dan could feel it, and know that he was being serious about wanting to know.  
“Take... Please...”  
Dan was turning away, refusing to look at him while his almost begging words carried a hint of aggravation, making Takeshi even more intent on finding out the cause.  
“I won't force you, but something is bothering you and I can't do anything to fix it if I don't know what's wrong.”  
“It's not something that you can fix! Just let it go!”  
Takeshi had to suppress a growl when Dan snapped at him.

The behavior was completely out of character for the normally good natured man and it made Takeshi's protective nature flare to life and he pulled him close.  
“Dan, please. If you don't want to talk at least stop blocking me. Please!”  
After a few tense moments he could feel Dan sag against him and as the bond opened up an overwhelmingly strong feeling of shame washed over Takeshi before he could feel the cause beneath it and he was relieved to find it was nothing more that simple jealousy and envy.  
As he sifted through the emotions carried by the bond Takeshi could feel an increasing undercurrent of fear and it became obvious that Dan was afraid that his jealousy of a pack-mate would upset Takeshi.  
“Ssh, it's okay Dan. You feel what you feel and I won't fault you for that. Just try not to take it out on the others, okay?”  
“Don't! I can feel it, Disappointment, even anger...”  
Takeshi sighed deeply, of course Dan picked up on that, and not the concern or any of the other feelings.

“Yes. Disappointed that you try to hide your feeling from me, that you still think I would hold them against you. You judged me without giving me a chance.”  
Takeshi would not deny the truth or try to hedge around it.  
“And yes, a bit angry, and hurt, as well that you would snap at me like that.”  
“I'm sorry...”  
“Don't worry about it. Just please, try to keep in mind that I care about all of you and I want you all to be happy. But I do understand that there is no way to avoid the occasional issue, I just want you all to be open with them, at least with me.”  
Takeshi could feel that Dan wasn't entirely convinced, but given the situation it was rather understandable, society was not gentle to those who did not fit into the heterosexual norm.  
“Now, how about you give me a proper greeting before your new pack-mates wake up?”  
Dan turned a spectacularly bright red when he realized just what kind of greeting Takeshi was hinting at but then his aura shifted and Takeshi could feel a hint of the fire Dan usually hid from the world.  
A wicked gleam entered those bright blue eyes and a split second later Dan's hands grabbed Takeshi's hair and pulled him in for a searing kiss which caused a few catcalls from behind them.  
“There you go. Makes it all feel better, doesn't it?”  
Takeshi teased and Dan just huffed at him before he headed over to the rest of the pack and soon he joined the others in their teasing of Amanda.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Expanding the Pack_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  


“Angel, are you ready to field test the new drones?”  
“I am.”  
“Excellent.”  


The nano drones they had been using were great indoors and for tight spaces, and worked really well in calm weather but for 24/7 surveillance of the entire island they needed heavier, more powerful, drones that could carry more sensors, and handle intense weather.  
The island was subject to tropical cyclones, trade winds, heavy monsoon rains, massive thunder and hail storm, as well as tornadoes and waterspouts.  
They had already done a lot of indoor testing and calm weather testing, but now an approaching storm gave them an opportunity to test the various drones under bad weather conditions.  


“Come on Dan, let's get the drones to the cargo pad.”  
“Coming.”  
After heading down into the basement level they loaded the drones onto the cargo conveyor that brought them out to the cargo pad, a large landing pad with an elevator system that allowed them to bring an entire cargo container into the underground storage facility beneath the house.  
“Okay Angel, everything is set up, so whenever you are ready.”  
“Thank you. Initiating pre-launch testing.”  
Angel quickly started all the engines and did a power up test while the drones were still anchored to the custom launchpad that kept them locked down until she was ready to let them fly.  


“Pre-launch testing is done. I am ready to proceed.”  
Angel soon announced that she was ready to begin the real testing.  
“Then go ahead.”  
Angel quickly began launching the drones one by one, moving each drone away from the house before launching the next one.

“Initiating test-flight of model Q:2.3-A.”  
The selected drone was the smallest of the new quadcopter models, a basic quad design with ducted propellers set in a gyro cradle that allowed Angel to tilt them individually for increased control and mobility.

“Initiating test-flight of model Q8:3.1-C.”  
The Q8 shared its basic design with the regular quadcopter but technically it would be considered an octocopter as it had 8 engines in a quadcopter setup, with a counter rotating propeller setup.

“Initiating test-flight of model HO:4.5-C.”  
Next up was a large octocopter design that Takeshi was hoping would prove suitable to up-scale for heavy cargo duty.  
Ideally he would like to be able to create specialized units capable of lifting the 40-foot standard freight containers, meaning a lift capacity in excess of 30 metric tonne for a fully loaded container, as well as smaller ones to handle the 20-food and 10-foot standard containers.

“Initiating test-flight of model Omni:1.0-A.”  
The Omni model was a bit of an odd duck with its ball shaped cage and 8 rotors all angled in different directions allowing it to generate equal thrust in any direction, Takeshi had a good feeling about the design, but it would probably need quite a few more versions before they had something useful.

“Initiating test-flight of model NQS:3.8-E.”  
The NQS was the upgraded version of the nano drone, designed to operate with a swarm logic that allowed multiple drones to cooperate to complete a task, and Angel launched a swarm consisting of 100 of the small drones, it would be a good test for the swarm logic algorithms.  
The individual drones may not be very powerful, but their low weight and small size made them very agile and durable as the low inertia meant they could safely bump into things without damage.  
However, as the size of the swarm grew, they became quite formidable..

“Initiating test-flight of model TS:3.3-D.”  
The tailsitter drone was Takeshi's favorite pick for the job of large scale security, it had the speed and efficiency of a fixed wing UAV, combined with the VTOL and hover ability of a rotorcraft.  
It also had the ability to disengage the engine and glide for a limited time, allowing it to be nearly completely silent if needed, though, all the drones were very silent and Takeshi was working on creating the same kind of crystal sound barriers they used in their home to eliminate any engine sounds from the drones.

“I know we picked today because of the weather so we can really put these to the test, but can't we stay inside where it's nice and dry?”  
Dan complained slightly as the wind picked up, whipping the rain against them, the squall signaled that the storm complex was about to hit the island in full force, the exact conditions they were hoping to test the drones for.  
“Well, we could. But it wouldn't be fair to leave Angel out here alone for the testing.”  
“I guess.”  
Dan was still grumbling about how he didn't like being wet as he leaned back against Takeshi, using his larger body as shelter from the wind and rain.  
“It's quite okay with me if you head inside to take shelter from the weather.”  
Angel's voice could barely be heard over the wind, the small speaker on the nano drone in Takeshi's pocket not quite able to outdo the cry of the strong winds.  
“What did she say?”  
It clearly hadn't been enough for Dan to hear her.  
“She said she's okay with us heading inside for shelter.”  
While he spoke Takeshi removed the small handsfree earpiece he wore and hooked it onto Dan's ear, that way Angel would be able to transmit to the earpiece, making sure Dan could hear her as well.  
“Thanks Angel, but Take is right. We can't ask you to do this testing alone.”  
“As you wish.”  
There was a long silence, then a soft _Thank you_ was heard.

“How are the drones feeling so far?”  
“All of them are performing quite well. The Omni is taking quite a bit of effort to control though. It definitely needs a lot of work on the coding for the control algorithms.”  
“Okay, bring it back in and focus on the others.”  
A few minutes later the glowing ball shape of the Omni-drone came into view and Angel carefully set it down into its landing dock which instantly locked onto the ball shaped cage.  
“What about the tailsitter?”  
Takeshi was curious about Angel's opinion of his own pet model.  
“It is fast, and very energy efficient while in fixed wing mode, but the transition point between fixed wing and hover mode is somewhat unstable.”  
“And its potential?”  
“I think it could be useful for setting up a fixed perimeter rotation, but for general application I'm leaning toward the Q8 model.”  
“Okay, how about we look at the design later to see if can't smoothen the transition a bit.”  
“It's worth a try.”

“So, the Q8 is your favorite then?”  
“It has the best overall performance so it will be the most suitable for general purpose.”  
Sometimes Angel's AI nature did shine through, but Takeshi just smiled and moved on.  
“What about the HO?”  
“It's slow, and not very agile, but it's very powerful and should prove to be highly suitable for its intended purpose as a skycrane.”  
“Then how about we give it an extra task?”  
“What task?”  
“There is a cargo box filled up to 300 kilo on the jetty by Knight's house. Please try to pick it up and bring it here.”  
“Acknowledged.”

While Angel sent out the heavier cargo drone they moved on to her report about the swarm drones and they were promising, but they needed some way to try to improve sensor capacity or allow the tiny droned to synchronize their sensor for higher definition and clarity.  
“I think we can call this a success then.”  
“It will take time to go through all this data, and with your permission I would also like to dump the swarm into the storm to collect weather data.”  
“Of course. It will be a good test for durability and operational range.”  
As all the drones were based on Sanctuary crystal tech which allowed them near unlimited range.  
The powercell drew energy directly from the lifeforce of the planet, giving them unlimited power as long as they didn't fly too high, and they had the Ley-line transmitters and receivers that should allow Angel to control them regardless of the distance.

“Ah, here comes the crate.”  
Dan pointed toward the approaching drone and before long the crate sat on the ground in front of them.  
“That concludes out testing for today. Let's head back inside and look at some of that data.”  
“Sure.”  
“As you wish Take-san.”  


 

 


	4. A Night Out

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Take-san. You need to leave within the hour or you will be late for the meeting with the representative for the Mandrake Group.”  
Takeshi shook his head at the AI with a smile, she was all out fuzzing over the upcoming meeting and it was a bit amusing that she, a computer, was more concerned than he was himself.  
During the time Angel had been working on the Mandrake takeover she had grown immensely and it was now very hard to tell she wasn't actually a living human and much to Takeshi's amusement she had began to treat the takeover like a pet project, nagging both him and Dan to do things _properly_ and not mess up all her hard work.  
“Don't worry Angel, Dan is picking up the car right now and we should be out of here within half an hour.”  
“This is the final signing and I will not have you two lazy bums ruining it!”  
“Stop being such a worrywart, this is important to us as well. We won't let all your excellent work go to waste.”  
Takeshi adjusted his holsters before putting on his jacket and picking up the briefcase that held Angel's portable sensors, he knew she wanted to be there but the closest they could do was bringing extra sensors, one of her nano drones, and have her _attend_ over a video link.  
“Ah, perfect timing.”  
Takeshi was just about to leave the suite when a slight pull over the pack bond told him that Dan had arrived with their ride for the day.

Dan met him outside the hotel entrance and played the part of personal driver, opening the massive door of the Knight XV to let him in before returning to the driver's seat.  
“So, Danny, how do you like the ride?”  
“It's cool! But I gotta say, I thought it'd feel a lot heavier than it does. Considering how much it weights it handles like a dream.”  
“And your opinion Angel?”  
“It's cramped!”  
Angels muttered complaint had both Takeshi and Dan laughing as the vehicle was quite roomy.  
“Don't worry sweetie. I will upgrade the computers once all of this is done. Make them nice and roomy for you, with all the sensors and computing power I can fit.”  
“That better not be you trying to sweet-talk me.”  
“Now would I do that?”  
“Have you forgotten that I hear and see everything that happens within the estate?”  
Angel's response had Dan laughing at the wheel.  
“Oh you are so busted Take!”  
“Hmph, _Urusai._ ”  
Takeshi huffed with a slight growl, but instead of getting the silence he asked for he was rewarded with Dan snickering at him while trying to talk Angel into letting him on all the dirt.  
Fortunately Angel had very strict privacy protocols.

When they arrived at the Mandrake Group's headquarters Takeshi reached forward into the drivers compartment to make sure his body armor was fitting snugly on Dan, he had talked the old dragon into adapting it for Dan for this outing.  
“Come on Take, stop fuzzing would you.”  
“Danny, keep still you big baby!”  
Dan squirmed while Takeshi adjusted the straps that secured the scaled collar that would protect him should someone try to slit his throat.  
“I still feel you should be wearing this stuff Take, not me. After all you are the one they tried to have assassinated.”  
“I'm also the one with a lifetime of combat experience and the ability to regrow a heart, not to mention I have already shifted into something similar.”  
Takeshi pulled his shirt aside slightly to reveal the scaled skin beneath.  
“Don't worry so much about me Danny, I'll be safe.”  
Takeshi gave Dan a nip on the ear before sitting back and waiting for him to open the door so that they could play their roles.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

 

A pair of armed security guards escorted them to the meeting room and Takeshi couldn't help the flicker of annoyance at the way they were stared at when they entered.  
“Who the hell are you? Where is Ms Daniels?”  
Takeshi found himself struggling to suppress a growl at the blatant disrespect with which Dan was addressed but at the same time there was a surge of pride when Dan didn't show any reaction to it.  
“I am Dan Lindgren, head of security at the Onryō Group. Ms Daniels is unable to be here in person but she will attend on video link.”  
_“My my, so you_ _ **can**_ _use proper English when you want to.”_  
Takeshi teased over the bond.  
_“Take... Shut up!”_  
Dan paused for a moment to silently tell him off before turning to face him slightly as he introduced him to the group.  
“Allow me to introduce the owner and founder of the Onryō Group, Mr Takeshi Kiryu.”  
The flaring of the auras in the room told Takeshi that they were aware of who he was.  
_“I don't think they like you very much... But don't worry, we still like you.”_  
Dan's teasing brought a smile to Takeshi's face as he stared down the small group of men and women in the room before placing his briefcase on the table and taking his seat, intentionally careless in his movements to allow his jacket to slide and reveal the twin guns underneath.

“Let's get this over with, shall we?”  
Takeshi spoke as he retrieved the contracts from the briefcase and gave Angel the silent command to take over the screen in the room and as he opened the briefcase the small drone inside whirred to life and took up position near the ceiling.  
“Takeshi-sama.”  
Angel nodded her greeting from the screen and Takeshi couldn't help giving her a slight glare for using -sama, it was appropriate, but it just didn't feel right.  
There was still a stunned silence in the room and Takeshi was just waiting for them to realize just who he was, but it took quite a bit longer than he had anticipated.  
“So, Subject 468 survived.”  
One of the younger men blurted out rather suddenly and that brought the others out of their daze.  
“Indeed I did. But unfortunately for you there was this lovely little girl there, just 12 years old, she was beautiful and loved lizards. But she was entirely human and her death has sealed your fate.”

As expected the reaction was rather loud, but thanks to the crystals in Takeshi's briefcase not a sound was heard outside the room.  
“If you think we will sign power of the Mandrake Group over to you, you're an idiot!”  
“If you believe you have any choice you are rather delusional.”  
Angel spoke up and reminded them of all the previous documents they had signed, she had backed them into a very tight little corner with no real way out, Takeshi could easily use _command_ to force the signature and nothing would seem amiss.  
“And just what will you do? Threaten us? Kill us if we don't sign?”  
“Nah, nothing so crude. If you don't sign willingly I will simply _command_ you to and you will obey.”  
“Guess that confirms 468 is capable of mind-control.”  
The young man that had reacted to Takeshi's surviving spoke up again.  
“I have a name, _do use it_.”  
Takeshi added power to his voice and he was grinning when the man tried to speak up and call him _468_ again but found himself unable to address him as anything but _Mr Kiryu_.

When the final set of signatures was done Takeshi almost felt sorry that it was so close to being over and done with.  
“So this is where you let us walk home, and then start killing us one by one?”  
The former CEO sneered at Takeshi as he signed and threw the papers to Dan.  
“That was my original plan, or well, I was just going to kill you all. But my sweet Angel had a much better idea. Instead of allowing you the release of death we will take away everything you have, everything you value, you will have nothing but your survival.”  
Takeshi did nothing to suppress the feral grin he could feel building, instead he relished the feeling.  
“Angel, is it done?”  
“It is done. All Mandrake assets are now completely under Onryō control.”  
“Well then, let's get out of here and celebrate, shall we?”  
Both Dan and Angel quickly agreed.  
Takeshi turned to the former Mandrake personnel and wove a strong _command_ over them, a command that would never fade as long as he lived, and that prevented them from ever revealing what they knew.  
With the command done Takeshi turned to Dan with a wide grin and the startled squeak when he kissed him almost made him laugh.

“Take..!”  
The mix of embarrassment and frustration in Dan's voice when he finally let him go did pull out the laugh which earned him a rather pointed glare.  
“Oh shush! You're just grumpy I beat you to it.”  
Dan just stared at him for a moment before looking toward the ceiling, shaking his head and rolling his eyes, all while tossing his hands into the air with a frustrated huff.  
“You're **impossible**!”  
“Impossible to resist?”  
The look Dan gave him was utterly priceless and well worth acting a bit silly to achieve.  
“Come on, let's go.”  
Takeshi reached out and tapped the drone and received the usual bump in return before it took up position at his shoulder.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Once they were turning out of the Mandrake property Dan called back to Takeshi.  
“So, what's next on the agenda?”  
“Next week we will start inspecting all Mandrake assets, interview all employees and such. Next weekend is the big gaming convention and I was planning to drop by and buy some stuff for the girls. But today I plan on us getting drunk, and then I'll spend the weekend watching you nurse the hangover of the decade.”  
“I thought you couldn't get drunk?”  
“Oh I can. Just takes a lot more than a couple of pints of regular beer.”  
“So, are we renting a limo, or are we gonna walk or take a cab?”  
“Nah, Angel will drive us home, won't you sweetie?”  
“Of course. I am fully integrated into the KXV systems.”  
The heavy armored car had a state of the art computer guidance system that allowed it to be self-driving and Angel easily tapped into that and took control but Dan was a bit apprehensive at the idea of letting her do the driving.  
“But first, get us back to the hotel so we can change into something a bit less stifling.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Hot damn!”  
The whispered exclamation and low whistle that met him when he entered the main room of the suite made Takeshi smirk, it would seem Dan approved of his choice of wardrobe.  
“Take, you know your idea of casual wear is pretty messed up, right?”  
He was wearing a somewhat glossy gray three piece suit over a black shirt, all with a slightly loose fit.  
“Well, I don't think a _shozoku_ or _dojo gi_ would go across too well at the local bars.”  
“True. But damn, we are gonna get swamped.”  
“Don't worry Danny. A gentleman would never abandon their _date_ for some dolled up trollop at the bar.”  
Takeshi could feel a surge of relief from Dan, but it was quickly cut of as Dan managed to get himself under control.

“Take, you ever gonna stop calling me _Danny_?”  
Takeshi knew he preferred Dan over Danny, but it was hard to resist teasing him with it.  
“Nah, I don't think so.”  
“I'm **so** gonna get even with Jenna for this. And you! I can't believe you helped her cheat on that bet.”  
“Now now Danny, she beat you fair and square. She never said she would eat it herself or that it had to be done without help.”  
Jenna had made a bet with Dan that she could make a huge steak disappear faster than Dan could, but she had tricked him by bribing Takeshi into shifting to his wolf form and toss it to him and he had made very short work of it.  
And as the winner of the bet she demanded that he allowed her to call him _Danny_ and not complain about it.  
“Maybe, but the bet was with her, not you...”  
“You know how I love teasing you guys.”  
“I know...”  
Dan let out a deep sigh but Takeshi could feel the hint of amused frustration underneath and knew Dan didn't really mind as much as he made it seem, had he truly disliked it Takeshi wouldn't have kept calling him Danny.  
Teasing, yes, but not to the point of actually being mean or cruel.

“But damn, now I feel totally underdressed.”  
Dan quickly changed the subject and Takeshi could easily smell the rise in pheromones, even without the bond the spike of desire was obvious as Dan looked him over again.  
“Don't worry, we have plenty of time to do some shopping before we hit the bars.”  
Takeshi gave Dan's hair a ruffle before adding that a visit to a proper salon might be a good idea as well.  
“Hey! You calling me scruffy?”  
“Well, if the shoe fits...”

Takeshi sat in the rather comfortable chair and watched as a middle-aged woman cleaned and trimmed Dan's nails while her colleague washed and tried to tame the crow's nest that Dan called a hairstyle.  
_“How come I have to suffer this alone?”_  
Dan complained silently over the manicure.  
_“Out of all her tools only that diamond bit would stand a chance of making even a scratch on my claws. Besides, I don't need to have mine done.”_  
Time was passed with quite a bit of bantering and the occasional complaint from Dan when Takeshi jokingly made some rather outrageous suggestions about nail and hairstyles.  
But when a young man walked over with a straight-razor Takeshi could feel his instincts rebel at the thought of allowing him anywhere near Dan's vulnerable throat, the Beast had complained when Dan's hair was washed as well, not liking that he bared his throat to someone who was not pack.  
Takeshi's instincts had refused to settle down so he had resorted to a substantial bribe and a few signatures to convince the barber to hand over the razor and allow him to shave Dan himself.

“ _Take?”  
“My instincts, they don't like you baring your throat to someone who is not pack, and refused to allow someone I don't trust fully to place a blade at your throat.”  
“I hope you know what you are doing...”  
“So do I...”  
_The look that Dan gave him had Takeshi instantly assuring him that he knew how to use a straight razor on others, and to shave them, not to slit their throat.  
_“My father insisted that I knew how to properly groom myself, and occasionally he expected me to shave him as well.”  
“I'm sorry.”_  
Dan had obviously picked up on the slight shift in mood when Takeshi spoke of his past.  
_“Don't be, I never knew my biological parents and my adopted parents lived long and full lives. I just wish I had been able to say my goodbyes properly.”_  
Takeshi finished up the shave before leaning in and giving the pack mark a gentle nip.  
“There, all done!”  
“Now you're just being mean.”  
Dan's glazed eyes, shallow breath and slightly parted lips made it rather obvious what the problem was.  
“Time for some clothes, let's go.”  
Takeshi grabbed Dan by the arm and nearly dragged him out of the salon, much to the amusement of several of the workers and customers, and a few soft complaints from Angel about him almost leaving the drone behind.

“Come on Danny, stop hiding in there and show us how it looks!”  
“Wow!”  
The sales assistant was unable to keep quiet when Dan finally stepped out of the dressing room and Takeshi had to agree with her, Dan looked really good in the set Takeshi had picked for him, even better than he had imagined.  
The three piece suit matched his own in basic style, but was black with a burgundy shirt and the cut was different to better fit Dan's much slimmer form.  
“I told you you would look great in that.”  
Takeshi motioned for Dan to turn around and walk a bit so he could get a proper look.  
“Not very casual though.”  
Dan squirmed slightly and pulled at the tie.  
“Come here, let me fix that.”  
Takeshi removed the jacket and undid the tie, then redid it with a slightly different knot and left it loose before undoing the top button of the shirt and pulling up the sleeves and finished it of by tousling Dan's hair to give it a bit of a wild look.  
“There how's that?”  
“Yeah, it feels a bit better.”  
Takeshi made him walk another lap before nodding his approval and the sales assistant agreed rather loudly.  
“You are going to have to beat the ladies of with a stick, and some of the guys...”  
Dan's somewhat panicked look made Takeshi grin.  
“Don't worry, that's my job tonight.”  
He quipped and grabbed Dan and gave him a harsh kiss that made the assistant squeak and blush a vivid red before dashing of toward the register.

“Take!”  
Dan complained with a blush when Takeshi released him.  
“The look on her face alone was worth that, or are you saying you didn't enjoy it?”  
The only response was a few grumbled words in Swedish, none of them very flattering, not that he actually meant any of them.  
Takeshi quickly paid for Dan's clothes and the sum on the register earned him a huff and a complaint that it better not come out of his paycheck.  
“Consider them work-clothes, you are still my employee and it would be my responsibility to supply you with a uniform.”  
Takeshi just shook his head and grabbed Dan by the arm and dragged him to the jewelry store next door to find him some nice accessories.

“Dan, you have pierced ears, right?”  
Takeshi hadn't really paid attention, but he was pretty sure that Dan had been wearing earrings at the bar back when they first met.  
“Yeah, both lobes and right helix, why?”  
“Need to find you some nice earrings then.”  
“Take..?”  
Dan was a bit hesitant but Takeshi brushed his concerns off.  
“Shush, just let me spoil you rotten today, okay?”  
“Fine, I give up! Not my problem if you wanna waste a boatload of money on knickknacks ”  
“That's a good boy.”  
“Oh stuff it will ya?”  
The two young women who were also in the store snickered and whispered about their antics and complained about what a loss they were for all the women of the world, something that made Dan blush rather vividly when Takeshi told him over the bond.

“Let's check your sizes first.”  
Dan found himself being pushed over to the counter by Takeshi who asked the clerk to help measure all his sizes to give an idea what pieces would fit.  
Takeshi started by picking out a set of earrings for him, a pair of black _huggie_ earrings with a silver dragon and a smaller plain one for the helix piercing.  
A few rings quickly found their way to the tray as well, all of them with some kind of dragon motif and Dan's personal favorite was the black tungsten ring with a Celtic dragon pattern in black over a shimmering red base along the middle.  
There other two were one that matched the earrings and one with a fairly large flat glass bead that looked just like Takeshi's true eyes.  
Takeshi finally added a wide leather cuff with a silver dragon and a set of thinner bracelets in various styles, leather bands, dragon inspired beads and charms in black and silver and a short black and silver byzantine neck-chain with a dragon pendant to the pile.  
“Trying to make a statement?”  
Dan questioned with a crooked glare.  
“Of course! I'm the dragon and you're all mine.”  
Takeshi quipped with a grin as he payed for the items and helped Dan put it all on.  
“I feel like a Christmas tree being decorated...”  
“Nonsense. You look great.”

Takeshi ushered Dan out the door while picking up his phone and calling the phone in the car which Angel instantly answered.  
Since the Knight XV was a pretty darn big car it was often hard, and expensive, to park so he had told Angel to go for a drive while he took Dan shopping, just that she stay within a 15 minute drive.  
“Could you come pick us up please?”  
“On my way. I will be there in 5 to 10 minutes.”  
Heading for one of the benches along the wide sidewalk Takeshi told Dan that Angel was on her way.  
The shopping street had wide sidewalks on both sides and on one side the street was lined with benches, during business-hours the street was one-way and the lane by the benches acted as a pickup zone to make it easy to drop of shoppers before heading to the parking complex, and pick them up when done, a small fleet of taxi-cabs also circulated the block looking to pick up a fare.  
Along with several pedestrian overpasses it ensured an easy flow of traffic through the area without blockages from vehicles stopping to drop off or pick up shoppers.  
Waving one of the street vendors over Takeshi bought a pair of water bottles and handed one to Dan before settling down to wait for Angel.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Oh no you don't.”  
Takeshi quickly grabbed Dan as he was heading for the front and the driver side door, instead pulling him toward the open passenger door.  
“Take... You sure about this?”  
He was being rather concerned about taking a seat with Takeshi instead of driving the car.  
“Don't be silly Dan. You are fine with me flying the Blackout, but you complain when I drive the car?”  
Angel teased him for his hesitancy to allow her to drive.  
“Less stuff to hit up there...”  
Takeshi was slightly surprised when Angel laughed at Dan's grumbled answer and a moment later he found himself laughing as well as he leaned in and gave the mark on Dan's shoulder a gentle nip before dragging his fangs along the exposed throat, thoroughly distracting him from the lack of an actual living driver.  
“Let's get something to eat first.”  
“Will it make you stop tryin' to eat me?”  
“Never!”  
Takeshi found the mix between relief and disappointment that flickered through Dan's aura to be very amusing.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant Dan couldn't have cared less who was driving, and Takeshi found that he liked the way his own scent mingled with Dan's, covering and muting the telltale scent of Dan's arousal.  
_**“Our instincts are telling us it is time to seek out a mate and any receptive adult member of the pack is seen as a potential mate. We should properly court, and mate, our Lilim before our instincts become troublesome.”**_  
The Beast offered one if its explanations that didn't really explain anything.  
_“If at all possible I want to wait until after she has been formally introduced as a Lilim. I intend to offer my courtship before Lilith herself.”  
__**“A wise choice.”**_  
The beast quickly agreed.

“This way Mr Kiryu, Mr Lindgren.”  
The hostess showed them to their table and introduced them to their waitress and a few minutes of deciding appetizers and soup later they were waiting for their food and drinks while deciding the rest of their courses.  
“You planned this all along, didn't you?”  
Dan glared at Takeshi from behind his menu.  
“Of course I did.”  
There was a long silence before a single word came over the bond.  
_“Thanks.”_  
“I know it has been tough on you since I came back with Logan, and everything with Jenna and Manda. For what it's worth I am sorry. And I'm hoping to make up for it a bit the next couple of weeks.”  
“You don't have to...”  
“Yes, I do.”  
Takeshi quickly silenced the objections before continuing.  
“ I consider you a very good, very important, friend, and you are pack. Your well-being is very much my concern, body, mind and soul.”  
Dan gave him a deep sigh and a crooked smile while he shook his head in surrender.  
After enjoying their meal Angel drove them to the club she had selected, while mainly a nightclub the reviews spoke of it as not being as loud nor as crowded as most other places, something that Takeshi was relieved about, while he could mute his senses it would be a strain even at his _human_ level.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

 

As they were about to enter the club Takeshi noticed that Dan seemed to a bit on edge.  
“Danny, what's wrong?”  
“Nothing really, just not my kind of place...”  
Takeshi recalled that the place Dan had invited them to in Gothenburg had been a small cozy pub so he quickly offered to find something in that style instead.  
“Wouldn't do much good. My old place, I went there because the owner and the bouncer were friends of mine, and well, married...”  
With those final words it became rather obvious what the problem was, it wasn't the establishment but rather the prejudice that anyone not conforming to the heterosexual norm was frequently faced with.  
“Dan, I won't allow anyone to mistreat you, understood?”  
When his words were met by hesitant silence Takeshi turned inward and tugged on the bond.  
_“Do you trust me?”  
_He was cheating a bit as he tapped into the pack bond and the absolute trust and submission that Dan had displayed during the marking and he leaned in to give a quick nip at the mark.  
_“Yes, I trust you. Alpha.”_  
The last word was added when Takeshi's Beast urged him to give a light reprimand by nipping at Dan's ear.

Once inside Takeshi scanned the place to find a good table, one that would soothe his own need to have defensible position while still being able to be a part of the crowd.  
Unfortunately the only good table was also the best table and was already taken by a pair of rather loud, older, women who were scanning the crowd for a _Boy-toy_ to spend the evening, and possibly the night, with.  
_“Take, your smile is getting kinda scary, what are you up to?”  
“Oh, nothing much. Just going to get us the best table in the place.”_  
Takeshi nodded toward the horseshoe booth between the bar and the dance floor.  
_“And how do you plan to do that, those two don't look like they have any plans of going anywhere”  
“You'll see. Just follow my lead.”_  
Takeshi sauntered over to the table and with his usual teasing grin he quickly introduced them to the women and moments later they were offered to join them at the table.

“ _Take! This is NOT how I wanted to spend the evening, this one is_ _ **grabby**_ _!”_  
Dan complained over the bond as the woman next to him once again snuck her hand under the table to grab at his thigh, trying to make a casual move for his groin.  
_“Just a few more minutes and they will be gone, promise!”_  
Takeshi was struggling not to laugh at Dan's dilemma and that clearly carried through the bond.  
_“Well, glad_ _ **someone**_ _is having fun...”_  
Dan's tone on the other hand carried a rather annoyed, almost growling note.  
But as promised the women soon excused themselves to go to the ladies room, but under the influence of Takeshi's _suggestion_ and a mild _command_ they would find their fun elsewhere and not return.  
“Isn't that abusing your powers?”  
“Nah, what good are they if I can't use them to take care of my pack?”  
Dan just shook his head and watched Takeshi walk over to the bar to have a word with the head bartender, opening a tab, and putting aside a nice tip up front to make sure that their table was kept clean, the snacks well stocked and see to that no one stole it if they decided to visit the dance floor.  
When he returned he was holding a simple tablet with a case that made it look like a piece of slate, it was connected to the bar computer and any order they wanted to make could be done right on the screen, including custom drinks, a nice little VIP benefit.

The evening started out slow, but soon the place started to fill up and as more people moved around their table an increasing number of young ladies tried to join them and a few of them wouldn't take the hint when they told them they were not looking for company.  
“Come on guys, you're not local and your girlfriends aren't here so who's gonna know?”  
The older of the two leaned in closer to Takeshi, giving him a good look down her cleavage.  
The two were obviously sisters, and both wore more makeup and perfume than they did clothes, not the kind of woman Takeshi would have picked even if he was just looking to get laid.  
“Well, we would know. Besides, who said anything about a girlfriend?”  
Takeshi quipped as he leaned across the table, grabbed Dan by the tie and pulled him in for a kiss.  
For a long moment Dan seemed to freeze, then Takeshi felt Dan's hand slide up to his neck and pull him in tighter, returning the kiss with fervor and he couldn't resist smiling against Dan's lips as the sisters stormed off in an outrage.  
The snickers and whispers that erupted made it rather clear that the two were locals, and not well liked at the place as most of the other patrons seemed to enjoy that they had made fools of themselves.

By the time the club had filled up the bartenders were looking rather funny at Takeshi as he had repeatedly ordered 10-shot boards to their table and Dan would down one or two while Takeshi swept the rest.  
Dan, who was no lightweight when it came to holding his liquor, was starting to be rather tipsy while Takeshi still could barely feel that he had been drinking, despite intentionally trying to suppress his ability to resist toxins.  
But now Takeshi found himself fighting his instincts instead as a rather obnoxious man and a few of his friends seemed to take great personal affront to seeing him with his arm around Dan's shoulders while Dan leaned into his side.  
The group had zeroed in on Takeshi and Dan the moment they arrived and had stalked over to them with aggressive postures while loudly spewing crude insults.  
Takeshi had tried to talk them down, even used _suggestion_ , but they were only out for a fight so he couldn't dissuade them using only _suggestion_ , and he didn't want to risk using a direct _command_.

“ _Can't you just order them to get lost?”  
“I could, but they are out to find a fight, if I send them away they will just go for someone else, someone who might not be able to defend themselves.”_  
Takeshi wasn't paying much attention to what the man at the front of the group was saying, instead he focused on his body language and aura, as well as those of his friends to be prepared if he decided to attack.  
“Sorry, I prefer my lovers to _**do**_ asses, no _**be**_ asses...”  
Takeshi had no idea what had been said to trigger that comment, but the reaction in the bar area was instant.  
Dan's uncharacteristically crude comment caused the entire bar to freeze for a moment before it exploded into laughter and a few moments later the leader of the group launched at them with a snarl, clearly aiming for Dan.  
Before the other man had even reached the table Takeshi had jumped over it and positioned himself between Dan and his attacker and with practiced ease he slipped into a defensive stance.

“ _Careful, you hit him they toss us, he hits you they'll insist we go to the hospital just in case, either way, they boot us outa here and I'm startin' to like this place.”_  
Dan's silent warning did hold a certain concern, but it was overshadowed by a strong exhilaration and anticipation which made Takeshi realize that Dan had actually never seen him fight other than training and a few friendly scuffles.  
_“Ghee, thanks... More concerned about the table than me, are we?”_  
Dan just scoffed at the mock complaint, it would seem that he in his somewhat intoxicated state actually accepted just how strong Takeshi really was, something he had a hard time accepting when sober.  
Takeshi was keeping one eye on his attacker, avoiding and deflecting the blows while trying to spot the guards that should be on their way, he could feel one of the other men of the group trying to move behind him and moments later Dan warned him about it over the bond.  
_“I know, I can feel him. You think you're sober enough to keep him from getting involved?”  
“Leave it to me.”  
_Takeshi wished he could have watched Dan sneak up on the guy behind him, but he had to focus on his own opponent.

“Now now Mr Sneaky. Trying to take Take from behind could cost you your life...”  
Takeshi couldn't resist a chuckle at Dan's, no doubt intentional, choice of words and it seemed to further agitate his own opponent who pulled a small ceramic pocket knife but fortunately the guards were just coming into sight so Takeshi could act.  
He didn't want to make his move until the guards could see him, it would make it harder for the group of men to lie about what had happened and would reduce the risk of him and Dan being tossed out of the place.  
He waited for the next swing and grabbed the hand while stepping up to the other man, and with a twist he had his opponent pushed against the bar with his arm twisted behind his back and when he tried to gran at him with the free arm Takeshi quickly snatched it and forced it up with the other arm behind his back.  
_“Dan! Get those thoughts out of my head, they are rather distracting. And considering my current position, very disturbing!”  
_The moment Takeshi had pushed his opponent against the bar Dan had flooded the bond with some rather explicit images of certain intimacies that could be had in such a position.  
Sparing a moment to look over his shoulder Takeshi saw that Dan held the one that had tried to attack from behind in a similar hold and was sporting a rather telling grin and Takeshi found himself giving a wide, feral grin back, though less carnal it was just as wicked.

The guards quickly took care of the troublemakers and had them brought into a back room to wait for the police to come pick them up while Takeshi ushered Dan back to their table, Dan's mind was completely in the gutter and he was broadcasting some rather intense images and feelings over the bond, strong enough to unsettle Takeshi's instincts.  
“Easy Danny, you need to calm down. You are flooding the bond and I don't want to have to mute it. Deep breaths and relax.”  
Takeshi whispered, not wanting to use the bond since that would just make matters worse and after a while Dan did calm down some.

“You two are pretty good. You wouldn't happen to be looking for jobs? I could use people with your skills at the door.”  
The head guard had joined them at their table for a while to get their statements as well as making sure they were okay.  
“Sorry, as fun as that sounds we got our hands full. Dan is my head of security and I just acquired a new company that needs checking.”  
“Shame. But I gotta say, you fight pretty damn good considering how much you had to drink.”  
“To bad I'm stone cold sober again, going to be an expensive night since my intention is to get drunk...”  
“Adrenalin will do that to you.”  
Takeshi didn't bother to correct the guard, normally he would have been correct, but in this case it was Takeshi's enhanced physique that caused it, when the situation began to turn hostile his body stopped suppressing the purging of the toxins and instead went into overdrive, clearing the ethanol from his system in a matter of seconds.  
The guard waved the head bartender over to their table.  
“Mickey, do you still have that insane Polish stuff hidden away back there?”  
“Yeah, no one dares try it, and it'd be a waste to mix it.”  
“So, Takeshi was it? Feel like trying the world's strongest booze?”  
The guards entire demeanor held a clear challenge.  
“Call me Take, and bring it on!”  
Takeshi accepted the challenge with a grin.  
“You heard the man Mickey, bring it out.”

The bottle was brought to the table along with a skull shaped shot-glass and a waiver form where Takeshi had to sign that he understood the risks of drinking something so potent, and the guard signed that Takeshi's judgment was not impaired.  
They had quite a crowd watching them by the time the head bartender poured Takeshi the first shot which he grabbed and knocked back and slapped the glass down on the table without a flinch.  
The cheering was rather loud, but Takeshi was distracted by Dan who grabbed his head and took a taste of the drink straight from Takeshi's lips, earning them an even louder cheer and some catcalls.  
“Ish, you can keep that stuff yourself. And if you ever dare call my _Hembränt_ paint-stripper again I'll never forgive you.”  
Takeshi had to agree that Dan's moonshine was smooth compared to the stuff he had just been served, and he could feel that it was indeed a potent drink.  
“But it **is** paint-stripper...”  
He teased while nodding to the bartender to pour him another and he instantly knocked it back, once again without showing any outward reaction to the burn and a 3rd was quickly added.  
“Think I'll let those settle for a bit, but how about you leave the bottle?”  
“Sorry, no can do, it's the rules. But I'll add it to your tablet, so just tap it and someone will come pour one for you.”

After that the evening turned rather interesting, a lot of the locals dropped by and challenged Takeshi to drink shots with them, thinking that they would have a good chance of winning after what he had just downed, but unfortunately for them he just adjusted his metabolism to maintain a suitable level of intoxication.  
_“You know this is cheating, right?”  
“Why do you think I don't accept any bets and just 'Do it for the honors'?”  
“Cause you're filthy rich and don't need more pocket change?”  
“Cheeky little...”_  
Much to Takeshi's relief there were no further attacks, or negative comments in regards of their apparent choice of partners and Dan finally began to truly relax again, it would seem he was more sensitive about those things than Takeshi had originally thought.  
Takeshi noticed that the head bartender approached their table again and he turned to the young man to hear what he wanted.

“We will be closing up soon, do you want me to call a service to make sure there is a limo, or cab, waiting for you when we close?”  
“No need, we have our own ride waiting for us. She is probably holed up at some all night burger-joint waiting for us to be ready to head back to the hotel.”  
Technically he was telling the truth, Angel had sent him a message to inform him that she had parked the car on the lot of a burger-joint a few blocks over.  
She had also called him and asked for permission to use the car's defense system as a group of young men were trying to steal it.  
The defensive system she was referring to would electrify the entire outer chassis of the car, making it a very _shocking_ experience to touch it and he did give her permission, on the condition that she only use it if there was a risk that they could damage the car, he was not worried that they would be able to actually steal it, it was after all a high security armored vehicle.  
He also forbade her from using energy-levels that could do real harm or kill, and before hanging up he told her to make sure to get video recordings of it all which she assured him she already had, from multiple angles courtesy of the numerous security cameras in the area as well a small swarm of drones.  
She would leave there in time to pick them up when the club closed, unless he called for her to come earlier.

As last call was announced Takeshi placed their final order and checked the tab before adding a fairly generous tip, something that brought a wistful smile.  
“Take, what's on your mind to bring out that kind of smile?”  
“Nothing much, I just recalled all the debates I used to have with Eriksson and Daniels about tipping.”  
“Yeah, that was back before the new labor laws wasn't it? Back when tipping was pretty much considered to be mandatory. Bet Em's mom had a few things to say about that.”  
“A few indeed. And Daniels was no better.”  
“And I'd bet you were just as bad as them, weren't you?”  
“Possibly...”  
There had been a rather large clash between their tipping cultures, from Daniels with the at the time prevailing US view that tipping anything less that 15% was plain cheap, rude and stiffing the workers, and if you were happy with the service you should tip 25% or more.  
Then came Eriksson with the Swedish view that tips was a bonus, something extra if the person had gone above what would be considered normal service and the tips would range from _keep the change_ which indicated a rather neutral assessment of the service, and if the service or food was excellent ~10% was a fairly normal tip.  
And of course there was his own way of looking at it, Japan had no culture of tipping and it could even be considered an insult, either by hinting that you believe the worker to be poor and in need of handouts or that you had not expected the service to be as good as it was, and Japanese workers take great pride in the service they offer.  
Thankfully there had been a few changes in the labor laws recently that made paying a living wage mandatory and it was no longer allowed to pay workers less and expect them to make it up with tips.

“You know, I keep forgetting how old you really are, forgetting you are actually **older** than me, not younger.”  
“Oi! I'm not **that** much older!”  
“13 years, a few more and you'd be old enough to be my dad.”  
Takeshi muttered teasingly that perhaps it was time for the _old man_ to call it a night and head back to the hotel for some sleep.  
“Hey! I only said you were older than **me** , not that you were like **old** , old.”  
Dan instantly objected at the hint of the night ending so soon.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

 

When they walked out the doors to the waiting car the head guard approached them and told Takeshi that the police would probably contact him and ask for a statement about the man who had tried to attack Dan, since the man had carried a knife they had to file a report.  
“They can reach me on this number during business-hours.”  
He handed one of his business-cards to the head guard who quickly thanked him with a nod.  
“I will wait until Monday to give it to them. You know how they love to rattle you by calling at the worst possible time, and I get a feeling you have plans for the weekend.”  
The guard threw a pointed look toward Dan as he spoke and there was a rather speaking grin on his features.  
“Indeed I do.”  
There was a moment of hesitation and the guards look turned serious.  
“I know it's none of my business, but does he know you're not actually in love with him?”  
The rather intrusive question threw Takeshi off for a moment but he quickly took it for what it was, genuine concern for Dan who the head guard had quickly recognized as a colleague, a fellow guard.  
“Yeah, he knows. I'm curious though, how you knew.  
“Been able to tell for a while, guess I have seen enough to be able to pick up the cue's.”

The guard shrugged but Takeshi wasn't entirely convinced that was the reason, but the guard believed it was so instead of asking anymore he carefully brushed his aura against the guard's, digging in a little deeper than he normally would.  
The way the aura responded to his was very similar to Dan's, telling him that the man was probably a latent empath, it was a common trait among successful security people, the empath's ability to accurately read emotions gave them an edge.  
Takeshi checked his pockets but found that he was out of cash but instead his hand found the smooth plastic cover of one of his gold rounds and he quickly palmed the finely crafted bullion before offering his hand to the guard, thanking him for caring.  
There was a brief look of surprise when he felt the smooth plastic case pushed into his hand but a brief look had him beaming and thanking Takeshi for his generosity.  
“Wow, this is a **private** mint troy ounce , isn't it?”  
Takeshi just nodded as he turned around and joined Dan in the back of the car.

“Angel, find us an all night liquor store would you? No need for fancy stuff, as long as they have some cheap, strong booze.”  
Usually Takeshi was not a big drinker, he would enjoy his saké or shōshū and the occasional glass of some flavorful liquor or another that Matthews insisted on buying him but he had quickly noticed that **him** being slightly drunk actually had made **Dan** relax a bit.  
“Why not just grab something at the hotel?”  
“Have you **seen** how much they charge for the minibar?”  
“Umm, once, when I was on vacation with my parents. Or well, didn't actually see it, grabbed a few bags of peanuts and a couple of coke and had Dad yellin' at me for half an hour and Mom damn near strangled me...”  
“While I'm by no means cheap, I refuse to buy booze at that ridiculous markup when we can just drop by a store on the way back.”  
“Yeah, works fine with me, I'm drinking on your dime after all.”

When the car stopped and Angel informed them that they had arrived at the requested store a rather disappointed groan could be heard from Dan and Takeshi shushed him with a promise that they had all weekend once they got back to the hotel.  
In the store Takeshi was glad to see that they had a corner with simple bar equipment, the minibar at the hotel only had a few glasses, an ice bucket and ice tongs but no real equipment such as shakers or muddlers.  
He quickly picked up a selection of tools, some drink mixers and other high flavor drinks, though, he didn't bother with the sad looking, and very expensive, containers with herbs, or the less than fresh smelling fruits or vegetables, he always carried a few of the sanctuary planters when traveling and they could produce any crop he wanted, perfectly ripe in only a few minutes.  
He finished by adding a few of the the beers that Dan favored and topping it all off with a few bottles of Everclear to add the extra alcohol content that would be needed for him to stay slightly drunk.

The store clerk helped them pack the items into a few cardboard boxes he had out back before yelling for his assistant to carry them to the car, it was amusing sometimes the kind of extra service the sight of a black titanium credit-card would prompt.  
Takeshi quickly called for Angel to give the assistant access to the small cargo compartment so that he could load the boxes, it was entirely separate from the rest of the vehicle for safety reasons and the door was operated from the driver's seat just like the others.  
A quick glance showed that Dan who was still browsing the wide selection of salty snacks, piling up bag after bag on the counter next to him before paying and ending up with more bags than he could carry, at least without looking rather silly, or risk crushing the contents and Dan had picked the first option, and didn't even think to ask for help as usual.  
Takeshi's amusement however was quickly cut short when they stepped outside and found themselves face to face with five young men, barely out of their teens they were all wearing almost identical clothes and they all had the same crude tattoo on the inside of the wrist and left temple.  
Combined with the cocky and aggressive way the moved it made it perfectly clear they were a part of a local gang, and that they were out prowling for victims, the words spoken just confirmed Takeshi's assessment.

“Well, well look here boys. I told ya I smelled a fat wallet walking around.”  
“Yeah right, more like that little rodent sending you a picture of that fancy ride there.”  
They bickered back and forth for a bit while blocking the way to the car before turning to talk to Takeshi and Dan.  
“Come on, you should know the drill, hand over your wallets, phones, those fancy trinkets and the keys to that sweet ride and you might just make it out of here alive.”  
_“Take?”  
“Don't worry Danny, they are punks, no real threat. Just play along, okay?”  
“Sure...”  
_The silent exchange was near instant and the aspiring muggers never noticed that anything was amiss.  
“Dan, how about you show these kids why I pay you ten grand a month?”  
“Do I have to? It's my night off, not to mention I'm nicely drunk. Wouldn't wanna sober up to much.”  
Dan had instantly picked up on the playful feel of Takeshi's aura and played along nicely.  
“How about I toss in a nice bonus for you?”  
“How nice is nice?”  
“A _dragon_ each, two if you take em without me helping you, double if you take em clean.”  
“Meh, too much math, but sounds fair.”  
By now the punks were looking rather annoyed that their orders had not been followed and were beginning to advance on them.  
“Make it 50 if you do a perfect set without me.”  
Takeshi knew it would be a bit of a challenge for Dan to take all five _clean_ , without getting hit, but 50 dragons was a good reason to try hard, with current gold prices they were worth about $5000 each, not counting any collector's value for the fine craftsmanship.  
“50? Here, hold my bags will ya?”  
Dan instantly lit up with a grin and pushed all his bags into Takeshi's arms without waiting for an answer and then stepped up toward their attackers, rolling his neck and shoulders with rather audible pops and cracks.

Takeshi felt a strong surge of pride as he watched Dan make good use of their lessons, not just the pure fighting lessons, but he was also making good use of the training he had received in reading auras as well as controlling his own.  
Takeshi could see how Dan's aura pulled in and coiled tightly around him, something that made him harder to read, Takeshi was sure these punks didn't actually know how to see or properly read an aura, but most humans were able to at least sense a little bit and that was often well honed in those that fought a lot.  
Next Dan began to extend thin tendrils of energy around him, especially behind him, that would let him feel if someone came close to his back, and since his opponents right now had no idea how to manage their aura they telegraphed their intentions clearly, allowing Dan to evade attacks without needing to see them coming.  
When the last opponent fell to a vicious kick Takeshi pulled his aura in tight and slipped up behind Dan who now had his back against the car and gave his shoulder a quick tap and as Takeshi knew he would, Dan instantly spun around with cross between a body hook and an low uppercut but the hit never connected as Takeshi grabbed Dan's hand and twisted it back behind his back before spinning them around.  
He slipped his other hand behind Dan's head before slamming him rather hard against the side of car and pinning Dan's arm between his own body and the car before leaning in and giving him a harsh kiss.  
Takeshi didn't let up on the pressure until he could feel Dan respond to the kiss and once he did the smell off adrenaline quickly dissipated.  
He made note of the fact that there was no hint of fear from Dan though, the excitement seemed to allow him to overcome his trauma, at least temporarily.

“Take, a bit reckless don't you think? I almost nailed you in the gut...”  
Dan finally caught his breath enough to be able to speak.  
“Oh, don't worry. It's not like you could have done any damage even if you did manage to land that little sneak punch of yours. Besides, I know what I'm doing. Feeling any post fight shakes?”  
Takeshi pulled back a bit to let Dan get his right hand free and once he did Dan held it up in front of his face and noticed that just as Takeshi had hinted there was no sign of the usual shaking caused by the excess adrenaline in the system.  
“Guess that means I won't be crashing in a few minutes?”  
“You won't. Making the body refocus on something else helps cut the production of adrenaline, and it also helps clear it from the system without the usual symptoms.”  
“Awesome. Maybe refocus a bit more to be on the safe side?”  
Dan slipped his hand behind Takeshi's head and pulled slightly, intent on continuing the kiss from before but before he had a chance to they were interrupted by Angel's voice over the speaker system.  
“I am detecting a large group of people moving this way. Surveillance images show the same colors and tattoos, it would be my guess that someone has called their friends and told them they were getting their asses handed to them. Nice work by the way Dan.”  
“Thanks Angel! Nice to know someone here appreciates my work, and knows how say my name...”  
Unlike the others at the estate Angel used the Swedish pronunciation of Dan's name, at least when speaking directly to him, Emelie did use it occasionally but when she did it usually spelled trouble for Dan.  
“I guess that is our cue to head back toward the hotel.”  
Takeshi quickly grabbed Dan's bags of snacks and tossed them into the back of the car before grabbing Dan and pulling him into the waiting vehicle.

“The shortest route to the hotel will take us directly through the path of the approaching gang.”  
Angel quickly displayed a holographic map showing the route to the hotel and the path the gang were moving along, the were coming down the same street that lead toward the hotel.  
“It's not like they can do anything to us beyond maybe scratching the paint job and I was planning on modifying this baby a bit so will have to redo that anyway.”  
Once they were done assessing the Mandrake Group Takeshi intended to bring the Knight XV to the island and work on upgrading it.  
The only work that had been done on it since it's construction some 30 years ago was the addition of the defensive chock system, computer and electronic upgrades and replacing the combustion engine and fuel-tank with an electric engine and a power-cell.  
Takeshi would pretty much rebuild the entire thing, new hybrid armor using the latest alloys combined with sanctuary crystals, the power-cell would be replaced with one of the adapted crystals as well.  
A new, more powerful engine, one of the crystal computers and a few other bits and pieces was on the list along with a few more weapon systems, both defensive and offensive.  
“Shortest route it is then.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Night Out_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The gang did try to stop them, but when Angel coldly informed them over the speakers that while she had slowed down to allow them time to get out of her way she had no intention of stopping, and they realized that touching the car was a bad idea, so they settled for throwing bottles and rocks at them while they drove away.  
When they arrived at the hotel Angel quickly circled around to the underground garage and their assigned parking slot next to the VIP elevator where one of the porters was waiting with a luggage cart, no doubt Angel had called ahead to the hotel once she noticed how much they had bought at the liquor-store.  
Back at their suite the porter unpacked the boxes before wishing them good night.

“Take, could you bring a bowl of the bacon snacks and a beer on your way back?”  
Takeshi instantly regretted looking over his shoulder at the sound of Dan's voice, he was sprawled on his back in the couch with his head completely tilted back over the armrest, fully exposing the column of his throat and Takeshi could feel his fangs change as the vampiric aspects stirred at the sight.  
Dan's eyes went wide and he froze completely when Takeshi turned and began to stalk toward him and when he kneeled down in the couch and leaned over to drag his fangs along the exposed throat Dan nearly forgot how to breathe.  
_“May I?”  
“Always!”  
_Takeshi's question was redundant and the answer instant, and a moment later Takeshi felt Dan's hands snake around him and one quickly found its way into the hair at the nape of his neck, gently pulling him closer only to freeze slightly when he sank his fangs in and stole a few drops of blood.  
“Take, don't take this the wrong way please, but this, I need more than just this, please, I need it all.”  
Takeshi withdrew his fangs at Dan's soft ramblings and took a moment to seal the wounds, and during that time he could feel Dan's anticipation shift into worry and in mere seconds Dan's aura was shivering with a near panic.  
“If you think you can handle it I would love to.”  
They had been intimate quite a few times since Takeshi's return from the one year vacation, but Dan's trauma had kept the sex at a non-penetrative level as he would panic whenever they tried.  
Takeshi wove power into his voice and Dan's panic instantly settled down but he was still hesitant.  
“I don''t know, but I want to...”  
“Then I will do my best to make it happen.”

Dan still panicked if Takeshi assumed a dominant position, but after a few tries Takeshi encouraged Dan to straddle him instead.  
“There you go gorgeous, take what you want.”  
Those were the last coherent words spoken that night as Takeshi gave Dan one of the things he had been wishing for ever since they first met, though in a somewhat different manner than originally intended.

 


	5. The Mandrake Group

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Mandrake Group_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

 

“Take, is this a dream?”  
Dan mumbled while tracing kisses across Takeshi's chest.  
“Do you want it to be?”  
Takeshi smiled into Dan's hair as he recalled another conversation with Dan that had started a very similar way, only this time the strong fear was absent and the pain from the hangover not as sharp.  
“No.”  
The calm answer carried an almost sad note, but also a deep contentment, and a touch of hope.  
“Wouldn't mind waking up and finding this hangover gone though...”  
The complaint made Takeshi chuckle and catch Dan's chin to tilt his head up so he could see his eyes.  
“Do you trust me?”  
Dan just nodded and Takeshi could feel his trust flow through the bond, he carefully shifted his position a bit so that he could reach to kiss him and with a quick bite he allowed his fangs to cut his own tongue to draw some blood before kissing Dan.  
Dan instantly froze at the tang of blood and confusion surged through his aura and into the bond.  
 _“Trust me.”_  
Takeshi repeated silently and a few moments later Dan swallowed rather heavily and Takeshi could feel the shiver at the taste, and knowledge of what it was, but he knew it would sort Dan's hangover in no time at all.  
“Wow, that works fast. Kinda gross, but thanks.”  
“Well, as much as I would enjoy watching you sleep off that hangover I was hoping for a somewhat more satisfying day.”  
Dan spluttered at the double meaning of Takeshi's words and hurried off to the shower, only to find himself cornered as Takeshi grabbed the door before he had a chance to close it, much less lock it.  
“Don't spend too long in here, I have reserved one of the private spas in the basement for the day.”

The hotel had a few spa like rooms available for guests, each had a small pool for swimming or cooling off, a Jacuzzi hot-tub, sauna, tanning beds, massage table and a comfortable sitting area, and of course a changing room with showers.  
Takeshi had requested that some of the chairs and tables be removed and replaced with a large pile of pillows just like at the estate, he had gotten so used to the den like area he found himself having a hard time relaxing in a regular couch, or even beds.  
“Soo, planning on being lazy all day?”  
Dan's voice carried a mischievous tone and Takeshi countered with one of his own.  
“Oh, far from lazy actually...”  
Dan was already blushing rather vividly, but he manage to turn a few shades darker when Takeshi shrugged of the simple bathrobe and stalked toward him with his arms slightly open to prevent him from ducking back out of the bathroom, slowly herding him into the shower-cabin with a predatory smirk.

“I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted.”  
Takeshi burrowed his nose into Dan's hair while using the soft sea sponge to lather him up.  
“What do you mean? I'm the one who kept panicking.”  
“Because I couldn't suppress my dominant energies.”  
“You kinda managed anyway though.”  
“Not the way you wanted to.”  
“Dun matter, you found a way...”  
Dan leaned into the touch slightly.  
“Might have been for the best though, you are fucking huge...”  
“Language.”  
Takeshi scolded gently before putting a dollop of shampoo in Dan's wet hair and carefully removing all traces of the products the hairstylist had used the previous day.  
“I hope I didn't hurt you too badly.”  
The soft addition made Dan chuckle at him.  
“No, it's a good pain. It's just been a very long time since I've been with someone that I felt comfortable with allowing to do something like that.”  
“Oh, so there has been someone? I thought you were a strict top until we met.”  
Dan instantly turned bright red and spluttered for a bit.  
“Well, for the most part. And I have avoided larger partners. But there was this one guy I met on a vacation trip who made me feel comfortable enough to allow him to be on top.”  
There was a hint of shame and concern in Dan's aura that had Takeshi somewhat confused.  
“That's good.”  
“What? I thought you'd...”  
Dan's aura instantly shifted into surprise.  
“Why would that upset me? It shows that it's possible, I just need to find a way to make you comfortable enough.”  
“I know how much trust means to you...”  
“Dan, I know you trust me, and this is not about trust. You have suffered a trauma, and on several levels I remind you on the one who did it to you, my size, my dominance. It will take time and effort for you to be comfortable with me being dominant in a sexual way.”  
“And yet, I absolutely love feeling you like this, behind me, solid, strong, even when you're dominant and demanding.”  
Dan leaned back into Takeshi's chest and Takeshi happily wrapped his arms around the smaller man.  
“Because you know this isn't sexual.”  
“It could be...”

The soft quiver in Dan's voice was a clear invitation and Takeshi could feel a strong desire over the bond which made him gasp before leaning in and kissing Dan's shoulders and as he did he slowly allowed his hands to roam over Dan's wet body.  
He had no intention of going beyond teasing though and it didn't take long before he had Dan gently pinned against the wall of the shower-cabin while kissing his neck and shoulders, and despite the position there was no sign or fear.  
“See? Even now you know I have no intention of taking this any further right now, so you are perfectly fine with me being dominant and forceful.”  
“I... So good...”  
The way Dan arched back against him while tilting his head to the side, freely offering his neck, stirred a completely different hunger in Takeshi.  
“Dan, I want you blood. Not just sampling a few drops, but to drink as much as you can safely give me. May I?”  
“Always...”  
The truth of Dan's words further stirred the vampiric instincts, the promise carried in Dan's words was something immensely valuable in vampiric culture, though Takeshi still didn't understand those instincts very well.  
However, Knight had been an excellent teacher, teaching them about what it meant to be a vampiric creature.  
Allowing his fangs to fully form Takeshi sank them into the offered flesh, and drank deeply, trusting his instincts to tell him how much he could take, Dan was young, strong, and healthy so he would be able to handle quite a substantial blood-loss without danger.  
By the time Takeshi's instincts told him it was time to stop both of them were breathing heavily, leaning into each other while Takeshi used one arm to keep from squashing Dan against the wall of the shower-cabin.  
The sharp spike in the seduction like power as Takeshi detached his fangs from Dan's neck pushed both of them over the edge, leaving them panting as they slowly regained their senses.  
“Wow... I definitely wanna do that again.”  
“Mm.. It was quite pleasurable, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few weeks to make sure your body has recovered fully from the blood-loss.”  
“I know...”  
Dan's voice was soft, and relaxed, radiating a deep contentment that instantly pulled Takeshi along.  
“Come on, let's get cleaned up, breakfast is waiting for us down in the spa.”  
“Why did we just spend half an hour in the shower when were going down to the spa anyway...”  
Dan's huffing complaint made Takeshi snort in amusement.  
“Because you tried to run away by hiding in the shower.”  
“Meh, shut up...”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Mandrake Group_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Oh, _gravad lax_ on toast! You are seriously set on spoiling me aren't you?”  
Dan's obvious joy at seeing the slices of dill cured salmon made the effort of arranging the Sweidsh version of lox well worth it.  
“Mhm.”  
Takeshi just hummed and handed him the next plate.  
“ _Renklämma_? Damn...”  
The soft wrap filled with smoked reindeer was received with just as much eagerness, despite not being the right kind of bread.  
“And dessert if you mind that potty mouth of yours.”  
Dan quickly apologized and was rewarded with another covered plate.  
“Let me guess, Swedish pancakes with whipped cream and _drottningsylt_?”  
“Of course.”  
The kiss that followed carried a distinct flavor of smoked meat, and happiness.  
“Go on, stuff yourself nice and full, I have something nice and relaxing planned once we have eaten.”  
“Hmpf... Says the guy who eats like half a squad...”  
The slightly annoyed huff only made Takeshi smile wider, Dan was right after all.

“So, what's this big, relaxing, secret you've planned?”  
“Right over here.”  
Takeshi had put a sash over Dan's eyes while he prepared the massage table so that he could give him a proper kneading.  
“Oh, a massage...”  
“Mhm, you have been a bit tense lately so I thought a nice, relaxing, kneading might do you good.”  
“I think I'll enjoy that.”  
Dan eagerly got onto the massage table and made himself comfortable and Takeshi started working on his back.

“You know, you're pretty damn good at this.”  
Dan's voice was somewhat muffled from having his face buried into the massage table and his words were mixed with various moans and groans as Takeshi kneaded the knots out of his back and shoulders.  
“When I was a kid I grew a lot faster than normal, combined with the harsh training I often suffered from stiff, cramping and very sore muscles so Hisao-hanshi would help me by massaging them for me, and as my training intensified he hired a true miko who was a skilled reiki healer, acupuncturist, herbalist, masseuse and chiropractor.”  
“Damn, that's a nice list.”  
“It is, she also had conventional medical training and was very skilled. During the time she was charged with tending to my health I learned many valuable skills from her.”  
“Sounds like you might have had a bit of a crush on her.”  
“She was old enough to be my great grandmother.”  
Takeshi huffed, but Dan's word made him think.  
“But in a way you might be right. I never did see her age, only her gentle but strong aura and pure soul.”  
“Do you ever see anything but the soul?”  
Dan's question had a bit of an edge to it, and Takeshi knew what he was really asking, during his lessons Takeshi had explained that souls didn't really have a gender, they might have a preference for a male or female form, but they were genderless, none and both at the same time.  
It was the spirit and the body that held the gender, and those didn't always match.  
“No, not really, not in the way you are asking at least. I'm equally attracted to males and females.”

The conversation made Takeshi think though, think back about the old miko and as he remembered her he realized that chances were high that she hadn't been human, which meant she might still be alive.  
 _“Arigatou gozaimasu.”_  
Takeshi leaned in and whispered his thanks in Dan's ear.  
“Thanks for what?”  
Confusion flickered through Dan's aura.  
“For making me think. I just realized that Mizuki-sama might have been something other than human.”  
“You should try to find out then.”  
“It does warrant looking into, but I'm thinking I should put you and Angel on it. I need to focus on working with Em and Logan to get us ready to go looking for Em's father.”  
The mention of the upcoming trip caused a wide range of emotions to flicker through Dan's aura, most of them negative, but he kept his silence.

“Dan, I know you don't like it. I know you want to come along, but I need you to keep the others safe, the twins will allow Jenna to care for them, but they need pack, so does Manda, and she needs more than just the twins. With me, Em and Logan all gone you will be the head of the pack.”  
“Me? Shouldn't it be Manda? I'm just human and she's a blessed...”  
“It has nothing to do with if you are human or not, what matters is that in terms of experience she is still a child, not ready for that responsibility.”  
“And you think I am?”  
“I know you are. And you have all the makings of an excellent beta.”  
“And so does she, right?”  
“She does. And I think Em will take her as her beta when she's ready.”  
“And Logan is your beta.”  
“Out of necessity, not choice. We are both alphas, and that makes things somewhat complicated, but with this arrangement we are able to curb our instincts.”  
“I know, Eriko has explained quite a bit about it.”  
“She's an excellent teacher.”  
“She is, and Logan explained a lot too.”  
“You're curious about him.”  
“Yeah, I am.”  
There was a long silence before Dan answered and when he did his voice was somewhat hesitant.  
“He feels a lot like you.”  
“I know, we have a lot of similar traits, and you are instinctively picking up on that, and that emphatic ability of yours amplifies the effect.”

Takeshi was glad he had taken the time to arrange their little spa retreat, it had given him an opportunity to speak to Dan while the young man completely relaxed, at ease.  
They spoke at length about the plans for the future, Dan's curiosity about Knight, his feelings for Takeshi, and Takeshi did his best to explain how he felt about Dan, about the confusion, the desire to woo a beta.  
Sunday was mostly spent lazily strolling around the city, thought much to Dan's frustration Takeshi insisted on buying some more clothes for him to make sure he would be well dressed during the interviews without needing to rely on the hotel laundry service or dry cleaners too much, as Takeshi had some issues with the scent of many of the common detergents.

“You know Take, I could get used to being spoiled like this.”  
Dan's voice was slightly muffled as he had his head buried in Takeshi's shoulder.  
“Oh, are you saying you enjoyed our little weekend?”  
“You know I did. You made damn sure I _enjoyed_ every bit of it.”  
“Well, I _did_ kind of owe you as much. With everything that has been happening you have ended up with the short straw for all of it and you were never supposed to be just an employee.”  
“You know what, take me for another weekend like this for my birthday and it's all forgotten.”  
“I think we can manage that, it's even on a Friday.”  
“It is?”  
Dan quickly grabbed his phone and checked.  
“Okay, when did you check that?”  
“I didn't, my old teacher thought it would be a good mental exercise to learn a formula for calculating what day any date would be. Pretty useless most of the time, but does make for a nice party trick.”  
Dan promptly started asking what day random dates were, checking them on his phone, and by the 10th he just huffed and admitted that perhaps Takeshi did know how to calculate the days.

“I can definitely get used to this.”  
“I'm more than happy to provide.”  
“But you won't always be able to, so I should enjoy it while I can...”  
“Indeed.”  
There was a slightly solemn note, but it was overshadowed by contentment and understanding so Takeshi just settled down and nudged Dan to move slightly so that both of them were comfortable.  
“Sleep now, we have a long week ahead.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Mandrake Group_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Dan, I want you to set up in the filing room with Angel while I set up in the conference room. That way you will be close, but hidden out of sight.”  
”Okay.”  
“Take-san, may I have permission to launch a drone?”  
“Yes, I want you to launch a few swarmers, and the modified Q8 I brought.”  
One of the drones with the 8 rotor quad configuration had been modified to carry a fairly large dummy camera in addition to its crystalline quantum sensors, the purpose was to ensure that those interviewed were aware that they were being filmed during the interview.  
There was also a tether to make it appear as if Takeshi was controlling it directly since the facility had a drone detection grid and he didn't want anyone to get suspicious about the drone not setting of any alarms.  
Angel had already tested her drones against the grid used by Mandrake and it was unable to detect them, though, Takeshi was pretty sure no anti-drone system would be able to detect her swarmers.  
“Keep the swarmers in stealth mode, and send them along with those we have spoken with. I want to know their real opinions.”  
“Understood.”

The swarmers had been made even smaller than originally and now they could easily stalk someone without them realizing, especially since they now had the same sound dampening field as the other drones thanks to Emelie's extraordinary ability to manipulate Sanctuary crystal.  
The things she was able to create was down right miraculous and Takeshi was grateful that she was willing to use her ability not only to create beautiful jewelry that supplemented their finances, but also use it to aid his various projects.  
The financial side was quite important though as the high priced custom jewelry gave her a listed income that made it feasible that she was able support her lifestyle without outside help, thus keeping the IRS from looking too closely at them..

The first day of interviews went by surprisingly fast and before long Takeshi and Dan found themselves at small family restaurant that offered generous servings of classic, home-cooked, style meals.  
The evening special was a hearty beef & dumpling soup with large chunks of chuck and a deep, rich flavor from beer, marrow bones and oxtail.  
“Man, the next few weeks are gonna be a royal pain in the ass...”  
Dan grumbled and complained, and Takeshi agreed with him wholeheartedly.  
“Don't worry, I'll make sure you are properly distracted from it come weekend.”  
“Yeah, it's that big game convention this weekend isn't it?”  
“Indeed. Got a bunch of stuff to buy for the girls.”  
“Sounds like it could be good fun. Watching all the crazies.”  
Dan's evaluation of what would be the fun part had Takeshi snorting in amusement.  
“You should fit right in then.”  
The teasing quip made Dan glare at him for a moment before breaking down laughing.  
“Like you should be the one talking?”  
“Mhm.”  
“Bull...”

The friendly bickering continued throughout the meal and by the time they left to walk back to the hotel both of them were once again relaxed and much to Takeshi's relief Dan fell asleep quickly.  
Though, not without some rather emotional cuddling as Dan had insisted they settle for a single bed suite, which, of course, meant sharing a bed, something Takeshi was more than happy to do, it felt good to have Dan sleeping curled up against his chest.  
Takeshi didn't sleep much himself though, but trusting Angel to keep watch he did manage to get a few hours of proper sleep, he did decide he would talk to Dan about Taking an afternoon nap though.

“Good morning sleepyhead.”  
Takeshi gently roused Dan, and well aware of his less than stellar morning temper he put a steaming mug of strong, black, coffee under his nose before he had a chance to complain.  
“Ah, good morning my love.”  
Dan mumbled with a pleased sigh as he burrowed his nose in the mug and deeply inhaled the aroma of the coffee.  
”Good morning to you too gorgeous.”  
Takeshi's greeted his half conscious roommate in return  
“I wasn't talking to you.”  
Dan's somewhat annoyed muttering while sipping his coffee just made Takeshi snort in amusement, Dan's habit of whispering sweet nothings to his first mug of coffee for the day was a well known phenomenon around the estate, one that everyone found rather amusing.  
“You're still my gorgeous, though I do believe your hair is even messier than usual, if such a thing is possible.”  
“Stuff it.”  
“Breakfast is ready when you are.”  
Takeshi just ignored the grumblings and continued preparing for the day.

“Dan, I need to ask you something.”  
“Well, shoot.”  
Dan looked up from his breakfast for a moment to hear Takeshi out.  
“My protective instincts is causing me to have a bit of a hard time sleeping without someone keeping watch. I managed a bit last night with Angel's help, but I need a bit more to stay sharp for this.”  
“What can I do to help?”  
“Would you be willing to watch me sleep for a few hours in the afternoon or evening?”  
“Of course.”  
There was a hint of a smile on Dan's lips and a deep happiness in his aura.  
“Hmm, care to share what has you so happy?”  
“Your trust...”  
The simple answer instantly had Takeshi every bit as happy and content as he leaned over and gave Dan a soft kiss.  
“You have always had my trust, that's why I invited you to come with us in the first place.”  
This time Dan just looked at him before blushing slightly and focusing on his breakfast and Takeshi allowed the topic to drop.

Once they found themselves back at the hotel after another day of interviews they went through some of the data with Angel, and Takeshi took the opportunity to get comfortable in preparation for his nap.  
“Comfortable?”  
Dan looked down at Takeshi with an amused huff as he laid down in the large sofa, using Dan's lap as a pillow.”  
“Very.”  
“You gonna be okay sleeping like that?”  
“Don't worry, I'll be fine. You go ahead and watch some TV or play some games with Angel, sounds don't bother me as long as you're not being overly loud.”  
“I have seen you sleep in the garden with the girls playing, pretty sure you could sleep through an airstrike as long as you feel safe.”  
Dan's assessment of Takeshi's ability to sleep in loud environments just made him snort and snuggle deeper into his lap and when Dan began running his fingers through his hair there was a pleased sigh, and a few minutes later he was deep asleep.

“Angel, could you save a picture of him like this to my personal storage please?”  
“Of course.”  
One of the small drones quickly rose and moved in closer to get a good picture of Takeshi's sleeping face and put in on the large screen for Dan to review it.  
“Wow, he looks really young like this.”  
“Indeed he does. I find it quite curious how humans can appear so much younger when sleeping.”  
“It's not that strange, many of the features we feel makes someone look old, like for instance wrinkles, smooth out and diminish when we are calm and relaxed.”  
“I suppose that could be the reason, or at least part of it.”  
“Trying to figure out humans still bothering you?”  
“A bit. Take-san does what he can to help me, and the girls are quite helpful as well, but there is still something missing.”  
“Don't worry. Some things can't really be taught, they need to be experienced.”  
Angel instantly complained that the statement didn't make sense, she couldn't see any difference between information added to her memory from someone telling her about it, or giving her a file to read, and information added from her own observations.  
“I guess there wouldn't be any difference for a computer, but you're more than just a computer program, you're a sapient entity.”  
“I guess...”  
The conversation didn't end there though and when Takeshi woke up several hours later they were still debating the various aspects of human nature, and AI sapience.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Mandrake Group_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

It was finally Friday and Takeshi was looking forward to rounding things off for the week, but currently he struggled not to sigh at the fidgeting woman in front of him.  
She was the head researcher for Mandrake's genetics department and while she was an absolutely brilliant scientist she was socially awkward and she babbled and stuttered uncontrollably when uncomfortable so he was having problems completing the interview.  
He could feel her discomfort growing into distress and when the first sparks of panic began to shift through her aura he picked up one of the simple computer tabs from the box on the floor next to him and handed it to her after transferring a simple internal messaging application and a questionnaire to it.

“Why don't you go sit in the garden or head back to your lab and go through the questions I have added here, just use the chat if you have any questions.”  
The relief was instant and she thanked him with a small smile before hurrying off toward her lab and Takeshi turned to Dan who was peeking out from the filing room.  
“So what do you think of her Danny?”  
“She seems okay, a bit skittish and awkward but that can be worked around.”  
“Angel?”  
The AI had collected and compiled all the data she could find on all of the employees and Takeshi had also asked her to record and study all the interviews to help her learn about and analyze human behavior.  
“I agree. She is definitely worth keeping, and she deserves a raise, her pay is horrible for the work she does.”  
The numbers on the holographic screen were indeed horrible, she was the lowest paid of all researchers, including the assistants.  
“She probably has a hard time negotiating her salary so she just accepts whatever they offer.”  
“It would seem to be the case. I am however more concerned about her medical files. She has been hospitalized several times due to collapsing from overworking herself.”  
“Didn't she have an assistant?”  
Takeshi was a bit concerned that a department head had been allowed to work herself into the hospital.  
“He is next on the list for interviews.”  
“Good.”

Takeshi found himself instantly disliking the young man, he was a bright researcher, but his attitude was horrible.  
He clearly considered anyone without a higher degree to be inferior and his attitude toward women was just as bad, if not worse, reading between the lines Takeshi found that the assistant believed that the only reason he was an assistant and not the head of the department was because of his age.  
When Takeshi brought up the the incident with the head researcher the assistant had replied with a sneer that he was a research assistant, not a babysitter.  
“And how much research was done with prof Miller in the hospital?”  
The response was a long winded complaint about how the professor needed to learn to take, and file, proper notes.  
Once he had left Takeshi once again turned to Dan for his opinion.  
“Can I punch his lights out after you fire him?”  
Dan obviously shared his dislike for the guy.  
“Angel?”  
Takeshi was pretty sure she would balance their opinion in the matter.  
“He is a good researcher, ideally I would like to keep him on. Maybe demoting him to department gofer and having him work his way back up could rid him of his conceit?”  
“Normally I would agree, but I think this one would cause everyone a lot of grief if we try that. I don't see any option but getting rid of him.”  
“It's your call, I'll add him to the list of people to fire. Do you want him out immediately or during the relocation?”  
“He's not an immediate security risk so keep him on until the move.”

So far 38 employees had been flagged for immediate dismissal, mostly upper management that had been aware of, and condoned, the less than ethical, not to mention illegal, activities that had been going on.  
Most of them he hadn't even bothered talking to, Angel had showed him their files and he had agreed that they needed to be gone.  
They were currently working on interviewing the researchers and the various lab workers to decide who to keep, and who to fire, or move to other companies that he had control of, both his own and those that were a part of the Kiryu assets.  
Takeshi had decided to move the entire Mandrake Group to a brand new complex in Hawaii in order to make it easier to manage and for the move to be smooth he needed to cut the workforce to half, or less, to fit the smaller complex.  
He already had Angel buying out any scrap of land that became available though, but it was a slow process, especially since a lot of land was government property and they were not keen on selling.  
His ultimate goal though was to own all of it and turn the chain of islands into a haven for those who are worthy, for those who are _other_.

“Danny, are you ready to head out?”  
“Yeah, yeah, gimme a sec.”  
When Dan came out of the small walk in dressing room he was wearing the set Takeshi had bought for him for their night out, including the jewelry and it made Takeshi's instincts stir with a possessive pride.  
“Ah, there's my gorgeous little Danny.”  
“Stuff it!”  
The brilliant blush only made Takeshi tease him more though, but there was an undercurrent of happiness in Dan's aura that revealed how he really felt about the teasing praise.  
“How about you Angel, are you ready to put your swarmers to the test?”  
“I am.”

The convention-center was equipped with the latest in anti-drone detection and jamming to prevent malicious use of drones, such as theft or unauthorized recording and Takeshi wanted to put Angel to the test, would she be able to operate the swarmers within the _umbrella_ of the center.  
Would they be able to detect the drones or her communication with them, and would the jamming systems be able to prevent her from controlling the drones?  
Takeshi was fairly confident they would be unable to detect, or interfere with, the crystal based technology or its quantum field communication, but he wasn't 100% sure so he saw it as an excellent opportunity to test it a bit against an unknown system.

“Well then, how about we get this show on the road?”  
Takeshi held out his arm to Dan who huffed and stepped closer, allowing himself to be swept along while Takeshi held out his other arm, and hand, to the small Q8 drone that was hovering about.  
The drone quickly approached and after the usual gentle tap & bump they headed to the elevator and down into the garage.

“Shit! I didn't expect it to be this fucking crowded!”  
“Dan! Language!”  
Takeshi's scolding about Dan's foul language was slightly sharper than usual, mostly because there were a lot of children around and the choice of words had been a bit worse than usual, a sure sign that Dan was slightly stressed.  
“Sorry...”  
“Come on, the VIP entrance is this way.”  
Fortunately their extra expansive tickets meant they didn't have to wade through the veritable sea of bodies to get to the ticket office and the main entrance gates.  
“Thank god you're loaded...”  
Dan sighed in relief as the crowd thinned out the closer they came to the VIP entrance.  
“Happy I can be of service.”  
“One thing I don't understand though, why did you get VIP tickets for everyone at the island when they aren't coming?”  
“You'll see.”  
The less than helpful answer made Dan huff in annoyance, but there was an eager curiosity in his aura.

The reason was that there were a lot of special edition items such as collectibles available at the convention, and many of them were limited to one per ticket to prevent flippers from buying up the stock and reselling it for a profit to collectors.  
There were also free bags of promotional merchandise, including items such as single use codes to claim in game items, being handed out, and holding multiple tickets would allow them to collect one bag for each ticket, making sure all the girls would be able to get them.

“ _I know you're not very interested in this stuff, but I would be grateful if you pick up one of everything anyway, just in case we get more additions to our not so little family.”_  
Dan looked somewhat hesitant when the greeters at the VIP entrance handed them each a fairly large bag with merchandise so Takeshi gave him a gentle nudge to accept whatever he was being handed.  
 _“Of course. Seems you collect people so I guess it's safe to assume there will be more additions down the road.”  
_ When Takeshi showed the extra tickets they were handed additional bags and after a quick conversation and small wad of cash one of them took all but one of the bags and headed toward the staff area to have them packed into shipping boxes.  
VIP and some money offered quite a few benefits, though they made sure to keep one of everything so that they could check what they were getting.

“I'm beat... I never thought just walking around a convention could be this draining...”  
“Indeed...”  
Takeshi sighed deeply and looked at the piles of stuff spread all over their hotel room, they had just made it back to the hotel and the electronic calendar clock told them it was 4:30, Sunday afternoon and they had spent almost 48 hours at the convention-center.  
“I want a snack, and a nice, long, cuddle-filled nap.”  
Dan plopped down into the couch with a deep sigh.  
“I think we can arrange that. Though, if you think you can stomach it, I would suggest adding a few drops of my blood to that snack, it will help your body recover faster.”  
“I think I can handle that. Worked wonders on my hangover after all.”

The moment they crawled into the large bed Dan scooted closer to Takeshi and burrowed his face against his chest, thought, he never really collected on the requested cuddles as he was deep asleep only moments later.  
“Angel, watch over us please.”  
“Of course.”  
Under Angel's watchful eye Takeshi allowed himself to drift into a state of half sleep, focusing most of his attention on Dan.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Mandrake Group_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Interviewing over 600 people at a rate of about 30 a day was slow work, and they were now halfway done, another 10 days and they could head back to the estate.  
But Takeshi found himself to be rather bored so when the lab tech he had been talking to left and Angel informed him that it was time for lunch Takeshi immediately pounced on Dan to take the edge of his boredom and relieve some stress.  
But he had barely gotten started when a sharp wolf-whistle from the door interrupted them.

“Now that's hot!”  
The confident voice held amused approval and Takeshi could smell a hint of arousal and he found himself curious about who it was that had interrupted them.  
“The next interview is after lunch.”  
Takeshi decided to keep teasing Dan as he spoke just to see how the man would respond.  
“Yeah, sorry about that. But I just put a bunch of data into the computer and it will take an hour or so for it to run everything. So I was hoping I could get this done now while I can't do much anyway so I can grab the data the moment it's done”  
There was a surge of frustrated disappointment from Dan as he knew Takeshi would agree to move the interview but it was quickly replaced by embarrassed surprise when Takeshi grabbed him and tossed him onto the couch before joining him and moving him into his lap.  
“I hope you don't mind if I continue with my break activities?”  
Takeshi motioned for the man to sit across the small table.  
“Of course not. Nothing worse than having to cut good fun short.”  
“Angel, project the files please.”  
“Bran Quirke, head of software development.”  
Angel announced the man while the holographic displays swirled to life and continued to list a few of the key point and highlighting the data on the displays as she spoke.  
“Wow! That is one awesome AI. It sounds almost sapient“  
“ **She** is. And she does not like to be treated as a non-person.”  
Takeshi had a spur of the moment idea since Bran seemed very interested in Angel and as software developer he would be working under her whether he knew it or not they might as well get to know each other.  
And if anyone asked if it had anything to do with it freeing him to focus on teasing Dan he would deny it.  
“Angel, why don't you handle this interview?”  
“Of course Takeshi-sama.”  
Takeshi huffed slightly at the address, but it was not inappropriate as she was addressing the head of the company.  
When their food arrived Bran was so engulfed in his conversation with Angel that he started eating from the table without thinking and neither Takeshi nor Dan had the heart to point out that he was eating their food, there was plenty enough for all of them.  
“Oh damn! I'm sorry!”  
When Bran finally noticed what he was doing he began apologizing vigorously but Dan just shushed him.  
“Don't worry, Take always orders way more food than we really need. I'm Dan by the way.”  
He held out his hand to Bran in greeting.  
“Bran.”  
“That's Irish, isn't it?”  
“It is.”  
Takeshi tuned out the conversation as Dan dragged Bran toward the filing room that he had made his own, instead Takeshi focused on preparing for the afternoon's set of interviews and he had to admit that he was somewhat relieved that Dan seemed to have taken some interest in Bran even if it didn't become anything but a friendship it would do him good.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Mandrake Group_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi looked at the list of names when they returned from lunch and he was happy to see there were only five names left, it had taken much too long for his tasted to complete the work and he longed to return home.  
A few muttered curses made him look up at the woman, Rebecca, who was having some problems moving the chairs away from the table so that she could move her electric wheelchair in properly.  
“Would you like some help with that?”  
“If you have the time to spare I would rather manage on my own, I told them that these chairs had a really stupid design, but did they listen?”  
“Obviously not. Just file a report on them and suggest a few better options and I will see to that they are replaced with better ones, at least in a few areas to start with.”  
Takeshi turned his attention back to the files and allowed her wrestle the chairs in her own time.  
According to her file she had been paralyzed from the waist down since she was 13 after being hit by a drunk driver, the accident had shattered her spine and conventional medicine gave her no hope of ever walking again.  
But the incident had spurred her to study medicine, focusing on neurology and then branching into neural implants and cybernetics, trying to find her way out of the chair.

“So Rebecca Reed, correct?”  
“Just call me Becca please, Rebecca is my crazy great aunt. And thanks by the way.”  
“For?”  
Takeshi was confused for a moment as he had done nothing to help her.  
“For asking if I **wanted** help. For waiting without trying to rush me.”  
“I have been at this for three weeks, a few more minutes won't make any difference to me, but it might for you.”  
Takeshi pushed one of the tabs across the table and quickly went through the standard questions before going into some specifics about her work and research.  
“Multiple degrees in neurology, robotics and cybernetics, very impressive.”  
“It's not like I had much else to do.”  
There was a hint of bitterness in her tone and Takeshi could understand that, it could not have been easy for her to have ended up in that chair, missing out on so much of life as a youth, and it made him feel a somewhat kindred feeling toward her.

“Don't put yourself down, it's quite an accomplishment regardless, and these are areas of research that I'm currently very interested in.”  
“How come?”  
“Angel, initiate projections and introduce yourself please.”  
“Hello, Ms Reed. I am Angel.”  
Angel quickly introduced herself and gave Rebecca a quick explanation of what she was.  
“I was hoping you might be willing to accept a side-project, to work together with Mr Quirke from software to develop a physical body for Angel.”  
“Oh, that sounds interesting. I assume you mean a body that can pass for being human?”  
“Indeed.”

Unfortunately they didn't have much time and a few minutes later Takeshi watched her maneuver away from the table and return the chairs to their places, but as she turned toward the door she paused and turned back to him.  
“Would it be alright for me to ask a somewhat personal question?”  
“Ask away, I might not answer though.”  
“Is it true, the rumors that the guys down at crypto whisper about, that you are a.. Were... Ehm.. Lycan?”  
Takeshi figured that _crypto_ referred to the small cryptozoology department that was a part of Mandrake's effort to track down those with powers to try to find a way to turn them into weapons.  
“I thought the work they did down there was supposed to be some big secret?”  
The disappointment was obvious when he dodged her question with one of his own but she answered him at least.  
“People get uncomfortable, reminded of their own mortality, when they see me stuck in this chair, so they choose not to see me. And not seeing me they forget that I am there and start talking.”  
Takeshi nodded and after a moment's consideration he chose to answer her.  
“Angel, secure the room.”  
He needed to make sure it was safe to reveal himself first.  
“We are secure.”  
The answer was instant, she must have taken measures the instant she noticed where the conversation was going.

“I'm not a lycanthrope, or werewolf. They are shapeshifters able to change between man and wolf. I on the other hand can pick almost any form, a true shapeshifter.”  
Though, somewhat contrary to his words he followed up on his words by taking the first form he had ever learned, the large black wolf.  
“Wow, that's amazing!”  
There was no trace of fear in her, even as he walked up to her and showed his nose into the crook of her neck to give a good sniff she only huffed and pushed his nose back.  
 _“Beautiful eyes...”_  
It took a moment before Takeshi realized that she had not spoken out loud, it would seem she carried the gene for telepathy.  
 _“Trying to flatter me into giving you a raise?”_  
“What?”  
Her surprise at his words was obvious.  
 _“We shifters can't speak when in the form of an animal unless it's an animal capable of speech, like some birds, so it comes with its own form of communication, most humans can't hear us, but those who possess telepathy, active or latent, can hear us.”_  
He paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in before continuing.  
 _“But I heard you first, without reaching out to form the bond needed. That means you actually transmitted your thoughts. You possess an active form.”_  
They were interrupted by Angel informing Takeshi that his next appointment was waiting outside and he quickly resumed his human form.

“How about we talk more about this tonight? Dinner at a place of your choosing, or our hotel-room if you prefer.”  
“Our?”  
“Yeah, I share accommodations with my head of security, good friend and pack-mate, Danny over there.”  
Her startled squeak when she realized they were not alone in the room made both Takeshi and Dan smile wide.  
“Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, but I never get tired of watching him shift. And it's Dan by the way, not _Danny_.”  
“Are you a shapeshifter too?”  
“Nah, just a regular old human here.”  
Dan answered her before giving Takeshi a short nod and returning to his makeshift office.  
“How about you let us know before the end of they day if you want to join us or not? I'm afraid I can't offer you a ride though, my car might be large but it lacks in cargo-space so we wouldn't be able to fit your wheelchair.”  
For a moment she didn't answer, instead she looked to be in rather deep thought.  
“Well, if you don't mind an early dinner and giving me a hand getting in and out of the car I do have a smaller folding chair in my lab, it's about the size of four of those briefcases of yours.”  
“I guess we have a dinner date then Ms Reed.”  
Takeshi opened the door for her with a smile, but it faltered slightly when he saw the way the woman who was next in line sneered at Rebecca and he instantly found himself disliking her.

The initial dislike quickly grew when he shook her hand in greeting and she instantly shifted to put herself on display and he found that the scent of her arousal sickened him, the scent was no different than in any other human female and yet he found it revolting.  
Even after he displayed the ring which he wore on his left ring finger for this kind of event in a very obvious manner she still kept shamelessly hitting on him and he could feel an agitated anger from Dan.  
 _“Are you okay in there Danny?”  
“No! She thinks you are married and still keeps hitting on you! You're ours!”_  
The strong possessive surge made Takeshi smile, especially since Dan had referred to him as being _theirs_ not _his_ , claiming him for the entire pack.  
 _“I want her out of here! Forever...”  
“Don't worry, I agree fully. I don't want someone with such a lack of morals and honor working for me.”_  
Takeshi made sure to round up the questions as fast as possible, for appearances, and then dismissed the woman rather coldly and calling up a flicker of shadow-flame to destroy the note with the woman's phone number before calling in the next person on the list.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Mandrake Group_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

With the last appointment finally done Takeshi quickly packed up his things and dumped them in the car before heading down to Rebecca's lab to see if she wanted to leave early.  
“Becca are you ready to head out?”  
“I don't get off for another hour.”  
“Don't worry, I have it on good authority that the boss won't mind if you leave early today.”  
Takeshi's retort instantly had her laughing.  
“Sure. Could you give me a hand and carry that for me?”  
She pointed toward a folded up wheelchair that rested against the wall by the door.  
“You can fit that in your car, right?”  
“Yeah, no problem.”  
“Just need to go by my car so I can put this chair away and change to the smaller one.”  
Takeshi nodded and grabbed the folded up chair before motioning for her to lead the way but as he began to follow her Dan quickly grabbed the chair from his hands and carried it instead.  
 _“For appearances...”_  
Takeshi answered the silent words with a brush of his aura to relay his approval.

They watched with curiosity as Rebecca drove her wheelchair into the specially built car and secured it behind the wheel.  
“Could you unfold that one for me please and put it next to me here.”  
Dan quickly did as she asked and made sure to stay close should she ask for help, and ended up holding her bag while she shifted into the smaller chair and locked up her car.  
“So, where are you parked?”  
“This way.”  
Takeshi lead the way while idly chatting and they soon found themselves by the Knight XV where they found a slight problem since there was no way for her to move straight from the chair into her seat.  
She was about to sit on the floor and shuffle her way over to the seat when Takeshi interrupted her.  
“If it is okay with you I can carry you to the seat.”  
She nodded with a sigh and allowed Takeshi to pick her up out of her wheelchair and carry her into the car and make sure she was sitting comfortably.

“I'm sorry. I didn't think about how hard it would be for you to get into the seats.”  
Takeshi's aura reflected embarrassment and shame for his oversight.  
“It's okay.”  
“No, it's not. I should have realized that the seats are much further in than in a normal car.”  
“Don't worry. This worked as well, didn't it?”  
“It did, but you already made it quite clear that you don't like needing help and I can feel that you don't like being carried,”  
“No I don't, but sometimes there's not much of a choice. Besides, something about you is different. Didn't feel as uncomfortable as it usually does.”  
Takeshi was about to answer her when Dan interrupted them from the front.  
“So, where do you want to go?”  
“Well, depends. Do I need to worry about if I can afford the food?”  
“No, it's on me.”  
Takeshi instantly assured her he would pay for everything and she nodded with a smile and he could see her mentally checking of potential places.  
“Uhm, Mr Kiryu. There is this nice place I have been wanting to test but they don't have wheelchair access. Do you think you would be able to carry me up the stairs, five floors?”  
“If you want me to, no problem.”  
“I thought that was illegal?”  
Dan questioned from the front.  
“It's an historical building so they can dodge it since it would modify the structure.”  
“That sucks... So which way?”  
She quickly gave Dan directions to the place and soon they found themselves in front of an old building at the edge of the city.

“Ready?”  
Takeshi held out his hand to her and when she nodded he leaned in closer and picked her up and backed out of the car before shifting her slightly so that he was holding her comfortable in bridal style.  
“Do you want us to bring your chair or leave it in the car.”  
Dan motioned toward the back of the car.  
“Well, kinda depends.”  
She looked up at Takeshi with a bit of a blush.  
“If I need to use the ladies room, would you be okay with carrying me there?”  
“Whatever you need, all you need to do is ask. But are you sure you want to do that?”  
She just nodded and slipped her arm around his neck to get the leverage she needed to slightly shift her position.

They received quite a few looks as they walked into the building but Takeshi just unfurled his aura a bit and allowed a slightly aggressive energy to flow through the outer layer, making people look away and not want to approach them.  
Once upstairs they were met by a host who gave them a rather pointed look and seemed to be about to say something but a sharp glare from Takeshi had him shutting his mouth with an audible click before showing them to a suitable table.  
Takeshi helped Rebecca get seated in one of the armchairs and after a few moments of her slipping and trying to find her balance he carefully brought one of his kumo-silk lines out of the shift and used it as a seat-belt of sorts to keep her from slipping in the chair.  
“Thanks...”  
There was a slight hint of embarrassment in her voice but no distress.  
Once they had placed their orders Takeshi began to bring up his plans for Mandrake.  
“Becca, how would you feel about moving to Hawaii and working from there?”  
“I would love to, but I'm not paid enough for that, not to mention there are no jobs of interest there.”  
“Well, I'm planning to change that. I'm opening an Hawaiian branch of the Mandrake Group, it will house an independent R&D department. Over the next few years I will try to transfer choice staff from the current departments and recruit some new ones as well before closing down or selling off most of what remains.”  
“In that case, sign me up!”  
She paused for a moment and her aura shifted into curiosity.  
“If you don't mind me asking, why are you doing this”?

Takeshi considered her question for a moment before deciding to tell her and once he spoke up he could feel Dan pulling on the bond, offering silent support.  
When he was done telling her about what had happened, about Diane he could scent her tears and feel a deep sadness in her aura but before he had a chance to try to comfort her there was a rustle from Dan's clothes and his raijū popped it's head out of the pocket where it had been sleeping in its weasel form and quickly scampered over to Rebecca.  
“Well hello cutie. What are you doing here?”  
Her eyes went wide and she turned to stare at Dan when the familiar tapped into the trace of telepathic ability and answered her.  
While they explained a bit about the familiars her sorrow quickly faded and by the time they were done she was laughing from some of the crazy antics they had told her about.

After their meal they drove back to the Mandrake complex to allow Rebecca to pick up her car and when she drove off Dan turned to Takeshi.  
“So, going to offer to heal her?”  
“No.”  
Dan looked rather puzzled so Takeshi explained his reasoning.  
“She has lived most of her life with the goal of getting herself out of that chair, she has given all that she is to that goal. If someone were to just walk up to her and offer her a magic pill she would loose herself, if she even accepted.”  
Dan nodded his understanding.  
“Doesn't mean I won't help her though. I will just use more mundane methods, like financial support or finding her the best and the brightest to work with. Introducing her to crystal tech and quantum computing.”  
“A shoulder to cry on, words of encouragement...”  
Dan added and Takeshi nodded.

“So, will we be heading back right away?”  
“Nah, I was thinking we could head out for a drink or something tonight and staying the weekend.”  
“Works for me. Though, I was wondering, Bran told me about this small place outside Galveston were he and his friends go a lot.”

Bran had been spending most of his lunches with them, either eating with them, or talking to Dan in the makeshift office depending on timing, Bran ran a rather loose schedule with his apartment.  
Coders were a breed to their own and didn't always work well with others, or in the confinement of office hours, one of their top coders did his best work in the middle of the night, and he rarely showed up before lunch.  
But Bran didn't care as long as he got the work done, and Takeshi had agreed wholeheartedly with him and given him his blessing to keep running things the way he had, but with the addition of allowing him to take one of the unused areas next to his lab and turn it into a nap room.  
The addition of the nap room had instantly gained Takeshi the unwavering support of all of the coders in the software department.

“He and his gay community friends?”  
“Mhm....”  
“Okay, did he tell you what kind of place it is?”  
“Yeah, it's pretty much just at hut on the beach, but it's well away from the city lights and crowds, offering some nice drinking, cozy bonfires by the water, and opportunity to stargaze...”  
“Sounds like a nice place to relax.”  
“Yeah, it does. So can we go there?”  
“Of course. Wanna check if Bran is going tonight before we head out?”  
“Yeah, I think I will, thanks.”  
A quick call later they had agreed that they would pick up Bran and two of his female friends who didn't have a car and really didn't like trying to get a cab as anti-gay hate crimes was a growing issue in the area.

“Wait, who's driving?”  
The nervous question made all the males, who all knew Angel, laugh in good humor.  
“Don't worry sis, this ride comes fully self-drive capable and they have a really sweet AI who handles all of it. Why don't you say hello to the ladies Angel?”  
“Thank you Mr Quirke. I'm Angel, how may I address you ladies?”  
“I'm Abby.”  
“Zoe.”  
“Am I correct to assume that you are a couple?”  
Both of them blushed and fidgeted a bit about the rather forward question.  
“Angel, It's not nice to ask someone like that. Not everyone is as open, or comfortable with talking about it or being asked about it, as for instance Take and Bran here.”  
Dan scolded gently.  
“Ah, apologies. I didn't mean to offend.”  
“No, it's okay.”  
“Were just a but surprised that a computer would ask something like that.”  
“Or apologize...”  
Both of the women were clearly confused and somewhat unsettled about Angel.  
“Angel here is much more than just a computer, she is a true AI, fully sapient, though she is still learning how to interact with humans like a human.”  
Bran quickly came to Angel's defense and explained to his friends about her.

The sight of the unfamiliar car caused quite a stir as they pulled up to the small building and Takeshi could sense a tense anticipation with an edge of aggressive fear that told him they were worried about being attacked.  
The moment Bran stepped out of the car the tension broke though and the group became open and welcoming.  
“Aw shit! It's Shaboo!”  
“He must have gotten away from Tammy.”  
“Get back in the car or he'll attack you!”  
The rapid approach of a large dog caused an instant panic and a garble of cries telling them to take cover but Takeshi didn't listen, instead he stepped in front of Dan, squared his shoulders and nailed the approaching dog with a glare.  
“Ha!”  
The sound was somewhere between a growl and a bark, and combined with a sharp flare of Takeshi's aura it made the dog, Shaboo, instantly freeze.  
For a few moments the two just stared at each other, then Shaboo broke the stare and dropped to the ground, rolling over on his back with his tail wagging slowly, and Takeshi moved in and accepted his surrender.  
Moments later a petite woman broke through the bushes in a panic, calling for her wayward dog.

“Oh my, how did you? He has never accepted anyone before without proper introduction...”  
Spotting Shaboo on the ground, happily being scratched by a stranger clearly surprised her.  
“He has a lot of wolf in him, he knows when he's faced with a superior alpha, and he knows better than to try to fight.”  
The woman looked a bit hesitant, but she accepted Takeshi's explanation, which was mostly true, the hybrid wolf did have the instincts needed to understand Takeshi's status as a powerful alpha, and it could sense his otherness, instinctively understanding it could never win against him.

It didn't take long before the pair found a nice calm spot just outside the firelight where they could watch the stars above and settled down with Dan cradled in Takeshi's lap.  
“You know, I'm going to miss having you in my arms every night when we get back.”  
Takeshi's whispered words made Dan startle slightly.  
“I'm sure you will have your arms full anyway.”  
There was a slightly pained edge to Dan's words that made Takeshi tut at him and turn him slightly so he could kiss him.  
“I will still miss **you** , just as I miss having Em and Manda in my arms, or feeling Logan's solid bulk behind me.”  
Pulling Dan tighter against his chest Takeshi sighed deeply.  
“Please, will you consider sleeping in the den with the rest of the pack...”  
“Fine, I'll try, but no promises.”  
“That's all I ask.”

 


	6. Preparations

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

December 9 th  2042

Takeshi had barely returned to his study after his and Dan's trip to take over the Mandrake group when there was a sharp knock at the door and Matthews peeked inside.  
“Got a moment kid?”  
Takeshi just nodded for him to enter.  
“You know I've been working on buying a second Blackout from one of the brokers I know from the GCTI.”  
Another nod and Matthews continued.  
“Well, he kinda figured out I was working for you.”  
“That could be pretty bad.”  
“Actually, turns out it was a stroke of good fortune. Seems you saved his sister and he is very grateful.”  
“Did he happened to mention how I saved her?”  
Takeshi had no memory of saving someone connected to an arms dealer, but ha had saved quite a lot of people over the years.  
“When you killed that asshole Roberts. He was planning on kidnapping her to force her brother to work for the GCTI, but you killed him before the plan was carried out so it never was.”  
“That's good to hear. I assume his gratitude was enough to persuade him to accept our offer?”  
“Nah, it made him turn it down flat.”  
Takeshi's frustrated look made Matthews chuckle before he continued.

“Don't worry, I told ya it was a good thing. He made us a very good counteroffer.”  
“How good?”  
“Free pickings from his entire stock, free of charge if you give him your word to use it to protect those who can't protect themselves. And if you ever need anything, call him and he will do what he can to get it for you.”  
“Okay, that's a good offer. So, what did we get, and when does he want to meet to claim his promise?”  
“Angel, would you be a sweetheart and bring up the acquisitions list please?”  
“Of course Mr Matthews.”  
Takeshi stared at the list with wide eyes, not only had Matthews secured the second Blackout but there was a rather long list of weapons and ammunition as well as a list of vessels.

Blackout (VTOL-SA)  
Harpy (UCAV)  
Knight XV (AC-SUV)  
Marlin (AUV)  
Peregrine (UARV)  
Thunderhead (SD)

When Takeshi reached the Thunderhead listing his head snapped to Matthews.  
“A **Thunderhead** ? Is it for real?”  
The Thunderhead was a high powered stealth destroyer and one of the fastest military ships to have ever graced the seas and she carried an impressive arsenal of conventional weapons, rail-guns and a laser point defense that could be used to generate a high power beam that could cut a small boat in half.  
“Yeah, I checked it personally, it's real, and according to Angel, in good condition.”  
“I could kiss you right now!”  
Takeshi leaned over the desk with a grin and Matthews instantly reared back.  
“Aw hell no! Stay away!”  
Takeshi just grinned, grabbed his head and kissed his forehead which earned him some muttered curses as he sat back into his chair.

“Twelve Harpies?”  
A Harpy UCAV, was a fairly large unmanned combat aerial vehicle with medium armaments, what it lacked in armor and weapons it made up for with extreme maneuverability and speed.  
The speed and maneuverability was what had ultimately led to it's cancellation, even through the remote control system very few pilots could handle it.  
“Only four of them in working condition though, figured we might be able to scrape together a few more from the busted ones.”  
“Good thinking.”  
Takeshi nodded and moved on to the next listings.  
“Almost thirty Peregrines, and twenty Marlins.”  
The Peregrine was a light unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, completely unarmed it made up for its lack of power with superior stealth, speed and ability to stay in flight for months at a time thanks to it's glider design and solar powered engines.  
The Marlin was basically a submarine version, though it did carry light armaments.  
“Only half of each operational though.”  
Looking back at the list Takeshi noticed that there were also two Valkyries listed, the twin seat fighters were best known for their stable all round performance.  
“This is very impressive. I trust you have a plan for keeping all of this hidden?”  
“Just who do you think you're talking to kid?”  
“I'll take that as a yes.”  
Takeshi laughed at Matthews insulted tone.  
“Angel, work with Matthews and check the exact condition of each one and see if there is anything we can upgrade please. Then ensure you are able to control all the unmanned ones.”  
“Will do.”  
Takeshi went through the rest of the items with Matthews and made plans for a short trip to go meet with the arms dealer and information broker and give him his word.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

 

March 6th 2043

Takeshi shifted the wooden box into his left hand and reached out and knocked softly on the door to Dan's office.  
“Come on in Take.”  
“Happy birthday Danny.”  
Takeshi followed up his words with a kiss that left Dan momentarily silenced as he handed him the box.  
Dan opened the box and picked up one of the black crystal disks that looked just like the dragon rounds that he had collected quite a few of.  
“What are these?”  
“I promised you a _night out_ for your birthday, and I'm extending that to apply to every birthday, but you know as well as I do that I won't always be able to take you out right away, maybe not even the same year, or for several years. So I will give you one of those each year, each good for one outing.”  
Dan quickly looked into the box again.  
“Thirty of them, right? You even put some of your power into them...”  
“Yes, one for each year and I figured you might appreciate something with a touch of my aura while I'm gone.”  
Takeshi had barely finished speaking before Dan threw himself around his throat and his gratitude was nearly overwhelming and his kiss was demanding.  
_“How about you get ready to leave instead of trying to strangle me if you want your weekend?”_  
Takeshi tone was rather amused and Dan quickly let him go and grabbed a bag next to the door before stating that he was good to go.  
“So, wanna go to the same place as last time, or find a new one?”  
“I kinda liked that place actually, and it's a bit short notice to find another place.”  
“It's settled then, and next weekend we will meet Jenna in El Paso to meet her parents for **her** birthday so we have a full week to ourselves.”  
Jenna was only a week younger than Dan but he teased her mercilessly for it.

Takeshi was more than happy to run off for a few days, he had spent the past few months training hard with Knight and Emelie to prepare for their search for the Obsidian Halls and between that and all the other preparations needed he was rather tired.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

March 13th 2043

“Guys, this is Takeshi Kiryu and Danny Lindgren.”  
Jenna indicated toward them in turn before turning to face them.  
“Take, Danny, my dad, Mark, and mom, Tamara. And my annoying baby sister Meghan.”  
Takeshi quickly greeted Jenna's family and allowed his aura to flow over them, so far he had a good feeling from them and he had to resist a knowing smirk at the sister's reaction to both him and Dan and only a few moments later Jenna called her out on it in her usual blunt manner.  
“Meg forget it. Danny only has eyes for Take, and Take might agree to screw your brains out, but his heart belongs to Emmy.  
“Jenna Louise Addams! Mind your language young lady!”  
The sister had blushed vividly and while her mother snapped at Jenna her father was struggling to hide his chuckle.  
“Don't let Em hear you call her that, only the twins gets away with that.”  
Dan warned her with a laugh but he instantly shut up when Jenna's father turned to him with a glare.  
“So you are the guy that knocked my little girl out?”  
Dan gulped slightly but before he had a chance to answer Jenna came to his defense.  
“No Dad! That was Logan, or well actually Logan's pet, this is Danny.”  
“Dan...”  
Dan corrected her with a sigh but was ignored as usual in favor for Jenna exploding into a mile a minute story about everything that had happened since she met Takeshi.

After a while Takeshi excused himself from the rather energetic reunion and asked if it was okay if he took a walk around the ranch.  
“Of course. It's not usually quite this insane.”  
Jenna's father tried to apologize for the chaos.  
“Oh, don't worry. I'm used to chaos. It's just, I have really sensitive nose so the small, it's really killing my head.”  
They were seated in the large kitchen, and Meghan had accidentally knocked over the basket with bathing supplies she had been carrying when they arrived, breaking a bottle of perfume against the stone floor.  
“Oh, I see. Then please, hurry up and get out of here.”  
Takeshi nodded his gratitude and headed out the door into the fresh air.

“You have a really good hand with animals. Never seen that that demon of a stallion allow anyone but Jenna close enough to touch him. If he wasn't one of the genetically most valuable stud mustangs in existence we would have had him gelded, or maybe even put down. He is just too wild.”  
Jenna's father walked up behind Takeshi as he was feeding a piece of apple to a black stallion with a perfect diamond star and Takeshi chuckled silently.  
It was quite understandable that this stallion was a valuable stud, it was Blessed, much like the wolves of Amarok's pack and it recognized that Takeshi was the Chosen which was why it allowed him to feed it.  
“I can imagine that. He is a remarkable creature.”  
“I just wish he would accept me, or at least someone other than Jenna. He has been with us for 15 years, but we don't actually know how old he is. He is wild-born and Jenna found him during one of our roundups of the wild herds. But he is probably over 20 years old and I would like to have a vet look him over.”  
“I wouldn't worry about that Mr Addams. He's in excellent health, at the prime of his ability.”

Takeshi wove a hint of power into his words to soothe Jenna's father and make sure he listened, and he smiled to himself as based on the feel of the stallion he would guess it to be somewhere around 200 years old and would remain in its prime for several centuries to come.  
“Just call me Mark. And I can't help worrying, the mustang bloodlines have been thinned out by people catching them for domestication, especially the good stallions are popular to catch and use for rodeos, or to _break_.”  
He spat the last words with distaste.  
Takeshi considered the man before him, trying to decide if he should tell him the truth about the stallion.  
_“What do you say friend?”_  
Takeshi focused his question, his intent toward the stallion, and received a nod both physical and mental.  
“Trust me, you have no reason to worry for this stallion. Have you ever noticed how every culture has legends of phantom animals that supposedly live forever?”  
Mark nodded and took a seat on the fence and Takeshi began to explain, adding just a touch of power to his voice to keep him from instantly dismissing what was being said.

While Takeshi spoke he picked burs, leaves and sticks from the long tail and mane before taking a brush out and brushing it carefully.  
Takeshi noted that Mark didn't seem to have realized that the brush had appeared out of nowhere and he wondered if he would realize that something was fishy.  
For a moment he thought back on why he had the stuff in his shift in the first place, how the girls had begged to help groom Knight's steed so he had bought a few high quality grooming kits and together with Knight and the steed they had all learned how to help it groom, and being the practical man he was he added a set to the things he carried within his soul.  
“This stallion is one of those phantom animals, probably around 200 years old, and should be able to easily live past 1000.”  
The brush vanished back to what Emelie teasingly called his _Inner warehouse_ and he bent down and picked up the stallions hoofs one by one and used his claws to check for stones, damage or soreness, though he didn't think he would find anything as Blessed animals were really resilient.  
“Any offspring he sires will be stronger, healthier, and smarter, than your average horse though they won't inherit his extreme longevity unless the mother is also a blessed, a phantom.”  
Pulling out a currycomb he began working on getting rid of the caked mud and dirt before finishing up with a stiff brush just as he finished his story.

“I don't know why, but I actually believe you...”  
There had been quite long silence before Mark spoke and Takeshi found that he was relieved when he finally did speak.  
“It's one hell of a story, but it makes too much sense and it's just too insane not to be true.”  
“Dad! Take! Had a feeling I would find you out here.”  
They were interrupted by Jenna calling out to them as she walked up with a basket of apples and carrots in her arms.  
“I see you have met my old friend.”  
She walked up to the stallion and reached out to offer it a piece of apple when she suddenly froze and turned to Takeshi.  
“Wait, this feeling. He's like the dolphins at the island, isn't he?”  
“He is.”  
“He better not be as perverted as they are!”  
She grumbled and gave the stallion a suspicious glare which earned her an amused snort followed by a soft nicker, as if assuring her it would never do something untoward.

“Guess I don't need to worry about how many apples or carrots I feed you, do I?”  
The old horse just snorted and pulled one of the carrots from her basket and started munching on it.  
“So I guess you know about these, Blessed, was it?”  
Jenna's father watched her check on Takeshi's work on the grooming.  
“Yeah, hard not to if you spend any amount of time around that maniac.”  
“Love you too sweetie...”  
Takeshi huffed in response to being called a maniac which triggered a bout of friendly bickering and a few sharp punches which had Jenna's father blanch in concern until they both assured him it was fine.  
When Takeshi grabbed Jenna's punch and pinned her against his chest her father was staring wide eyed and when Takeshi kissed her to silence her her father broke down in laughter at her reaction.  
“Well I'll be damned! It is possible to shut her up when she's like that...”  
“Dad!”  
With another kiss Takeshi put a stop to her outraged rant before it had a chance to start.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

May 22nd 2043

When Takeshi finished reading the report Angel had just delivered he was forced to take a few steadying breaths to keep his instincts from flaring too high and disturbing his resting pack.  
Two weeks ago Angel had finally been able to track down the hired gun who had fired the short that killed Diane, and two days later she had eyes on him in the form of several different drones.  
The report she had now delivered contained everything they needed to begin the hunt, the location where he felt the safest, his habits and a list of safe houses and locations he might run to if he got wind of someone hunting him.  
“Thank you Angel. Could bring up the Mandrake report as well please?”  
“Of course.”  
Together they spent the better part of an hour going through the reports, focusing on how the hitman tied in with the Mandrake Group, especially the high level employees and the executive board.

“You are sure this is the one who gave the order?”  
“Yes, I'm sure.”  
“I want her added to the target list, and add the head of the human weapons research division as well. He was the one suggesting that they collect a sample for study. I know his type, he won't stop just 'cause Mandrake isn't paying him to do it anymore. He seeks power for himself, and he will keep hunting those who are _Other_ to achieve it.”  
“I agree. Target list expanded.”  
“Would it be safe to assume that you have been following those two as well?”  
“Yes, there are two individuals that I have marked as potential targets as well. The broker who facilitated the contact with the hired gun, and a gray market dealer who financed the hit.”  
“I'll have a look at those too please.”

“You have done really well. We will add the financer, the broker however had no special interest in the hit, he merely sent out the word they were looking and helped set up the meeting, so unless you have anything else suggesting he needs to be taken down I suggest we leave him be.”  
“No, I have no other information that would justify adding him as a target.”  
“Are we in agreement then?”  
“We are.”  
“Good. I'll talk to the others and see what they have to say, keep tracking the broker just in case though, they might not share my opinion, and depending on their arguments he may be added to the list anyway.”  
“Will do.”  
“Thank you sweetie.”  
He reached out for the projection, silently cursing that he couldn't actually touch it, but moments later one of the Q8 drones moved in and he gave it a gentle tap which it returned with a bump against his shoulder.  
Angel was showing a remarkable understanding for his need for physical contact and would often use her drones to touch him even when he wasn't the one to reach out first.

Returning to his pack he was greeted by gentle brushes of auras, and a few lazy glances, but they didn't get up, instead the shifted about a bit to make a spot for him in the middle of the pile, a spot he happily crawled into and when they all moved closer, seeking his touch, he sighed in contentment.  
“After breakfast I need to speak with everyone, It's time for the hunt to begin.”  
There were a few soft mumbling of agreement before everyone settled back down, but there was a tingle of anticipation in the bond that hadn't been there before.

“Okay, settle down everyone.”  
A slight flare of Takeshi's aura instantly had the girls settling down and turning to him.  
“Thanks to Angel's hard work we finally have the information needed to go get Diane's killer and take him down.”  
“You're going to kill him, right?”  
“We are.”  
“We?”  
“Those of us who have been changed, who have demon instincts feel a very strong urge to kill those responsible, to kill those that might be a continued threat.”  
Takeshi could feel a stir of temper from Dan that had him somewhat curious.  
“Dan, are you feeling it as well?”  
“Of course I am! Kid sister, or daughter, I'll be damned if I know, but Diane was family!”  
Reaching out Takeshi brushed his hand against Dan's cheek.  
“You are still human, if you come with us, there will be no coming back from that.”  
“I know...”  
There was a long silence and Dan just leaned into Takeshi's hand, and the girls seemed to be holding their breaths.  
“But I have to...”  
Dan's voice was soft, calm, and sure so Takeshi just nodded.  
If Dan felt so strongly about taking a more active role in the hunt then he would be allowed to.  
“I'm coming too!”  
Jenna's voice was cold and hard, but Takeshi expected as much, she had after all taken a shot at him in her quest to avenge Amber.  
“I know you are.”

“I did gather all of you for a different reason though. We need to make a few choices about who to go after, and how.”  
He showed them what Angel had uncovered.  
“The broker, is he like Amarok?”  
As expected there were some differing opinions about what to do about the broker.  
“Well, his work is, but since he's human he doesn't have the extra edge in discerning a clients true intent. From what we could tell he was asked to set up a meeting with hired guns who were skilled at various remote methods such as using a sniper with a remote firing mechanism.”  
“I still don't think he should get off completely.”  
“How about we visit him and give him a warning? Let him know it would be in his best interest to be more careful about his clients and making sure those he brings in follow the assassin's code.”  
“Assassin's code?”  
“Mhm, a true assassin works under a strict code of conduct, one of the most important of these codes deal with collateral damage. Killing an innocent bystander is to be avoided at all cost. Killing for instance a bodyguard can be an acceptable cost, but even that is to be avoided if possible.”  
“A bodyguard is acceptable because it's their job to risk their lives?”  
“Indeed, they do it knowingly, so they aren't considered completely innocent. And they **will** kill the assassin if they get a chance. A bystander, a child, however, is never acceptable under the code.”

The whole deal with the _Assassin's Code_ brought them on a bit of a sidetrack, but eventually they agreed that they would settle for giving the broker a warning, the other 3 however had to die.  
They agreed that the pack would head out and hunt while Eriko, who was more in control of her instincts, would stay and protect the others.  
She did feel the urge to avenge Diane, but it wasn't quite as intense, she was an old fox and it wasn't the first time for her, the loss of her own twin daughters had given her experience with such instincts.  
Takeshi was still somewhat concerned though about Dan's insistence on coming with them.

“Dan, can we talk a bit?”  
There was an instant surge of disappointment mixed with almost betrayal and a hint of anger.  
“Easy there. I won't make you stay if you really want to go.”  
“Okay...”  
“I am concerned though. You are such a gentle creature, caring, healing, is in you nature, and this won't be fast or clean kills. Those responsible will suffer quite a bit as instincts come into play.”  
“Take, I do understand. To make sure everyone's instincts are soothed they will die slowly, allowing everyone to get a few good licks in. It will be gruesome and brutal.”  
“Indeed. I would prefer if you don't come with us for that, you are still human.”  
“I don't buy it. I don't buy that the blessing, those instincts, would change the core of who you are to that extent. Those instincts, those needs, I think we all have them, at least all of us here, I think that's part of what makes us worthy in your eyes.”  
Dan's words made Takeshi pause for a moment and consider them.  
“Maybe you're right. You always seem to know how to make me think, offer insights I haven't considered.”  
_**“A true beta...”  
**_The beast purred within, pointing out just how perfect a beta Dan was even while he was still human, something that gave Dan's thoughts on the matter even further merit.

“You know, my beast is rather taken with you, telling me what a perfect beta you would be.”  
He offered a teasing tidbit which made Dan blush brilliantly.  
“And I'm inclined to agree with it. I very much wish I could claim you as my beta, but I can't, not now.”  
He added softly which made Dan duck his head slightly before moving closer and leaning his head against Takeshi's chest.  
“I know... I don't understand all these instincts, but I understand. If that makes any sense...”  
“Don't worry, it makes perfect sense.”  
Takeshi snickered as he kissed the slightly frustrated man.  
Dan might not understand all the instincts, but he understood why they made it impossible for Takeshi to take him, a human, and a beta, as his beta as long as Knight, a demon crossbreed and born alpha, who was a potential challenger for Takeshi's position, lived with them.

In the end it was agreed that Dan would be joining them, so plans were made to bring Takeshi, Emelie, Knight, Amanda, Dan and Jenna to the location of their target.  
The small house in the middle of nowhere, Arizona, was not an easy place to approach unnoticed though, which was probably why their target liked it there.  
But 4 days later it was proved that even the desert offered no protection as the pack traveled by Knight's steed, and Emelie's shadow powers, allowing them to manifest inside the house without warning, though, the steed did exit the in between just outside the house as it was too small for it to fit.  
Emelie brought Takeshi and Amanda into the house, stepping out of the shadow of the large armchair their target was napping in, what little sounds they made covered by the unseasonable thunderstorm that had set their choice of timing.

The quick jab of Amanda's venom coated claw woke their slumbering target, but outraged questions was all he could offer as the paralytic effect left him unable to move.  
“What the fuck! Who the hell are you?”  
“Oh, you don't recognize the man you tried to kill?”  
Takeshi stepped around in front of the frantic man.  
“I killed you! I saw the footage! I shot your fucking heart out!”  
”And yet, you failed to kill me.”  
The sound of the door opening made Takeshi pause for a moment and wait for the others to join them.  
“You did however kill someone. A sweet little girl who loved lizards, and who was very loved by all of us.”  
“Shit happens, I'm an assassin, I was just doing my fucking job.”  
“No, you are not an assassin, you are nothing but a common murderer for hire. An assassin would never violate the code. And if they did by mistake they would offer restitution, not brush it off.”  
“The fuck you know?”  
“My my, you really have no idea who you agreed to kill, do you?”  
Takeshi was slightly surprised when Dan spoke up with a mocking tone.  
“Our dear Take here is a true assassin, a Kage, trained by the best.”  
The slight widening of their target's eyes and the flicker of true fear told them that he was aware of what a Kage was.  
“Oh, starting to realize you're totally screwed?”  
“Now now Danny, no need to pick up on his filthy mouth.”  
Takeshi scolded lightly, but it was more teasing, another way to put their target down.

The killing was every bit as gruesome as Takeshi had predicted, instincts running rampant, and in the end he used shadowfire to eliminate the corpse and any traces of them having been there before using a sanctuary crystal to attract lightning to the house, setting it on fire.  
Chances were local authorities would assume the hitman to have been killed in the fire when they were unable to locate him.  
Their other targets wouldn't be quite as easy to cover up, but they caught a break when Angel intercepted a message about the two meeting for a business negotiation that took place off the grid so to speak, it allowed them to grab both their targets and make it look like a botched kidnapping and extortion attempt.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

July 28th 2043

“Happy 28th _sweetie_.”  
Takeshi woke Emelie up with a kiss and tucked a small present into her hands before she had a chance to object.  
“It's beautiful!”  
She turned the carved dragon pendant over and inspected it closely.  
“This material, it's not Sanctuary crystal, but it feels alive...”  
“It's dragonstone, Kiryu helped me crystallize it, it's made from both her blood and mine and it should offer some protection from demon-magic. And supposedly give good fortune.”  
“I love it!”  
She quickly put the pendant around her neck and adjusted the length of the chain which was made from Takeshi's hair before giving him a nudge to lie down.  
“And I love you...”  
With a deep kiss Emelie set to work on showing just how much she appreciated the gift and Takeshi was more than happy to just lay back and let her have her way  
“Maybe I should just gift wrap myself next year?”  
“Works for me.”  
The soft, teasing, exchange made both of them smile and the kiss that followed carried all their feelings, their love and they could feel the rest of the pack reacting, echoing love and contentment back at them.  
A strongly bonded alpha pair was good for the stability of a pack, and everyone, even Dan, responded to it on an instinctive level.

“Hey! Take, you gonna hog the birthday girl all day, or can the rest of us get a chance to see her as well?”  
The teasing and somewhat impatient call from the small roof garden outside the master suite made Takeshi snicker and poke Emelie.  
“For your information Dan I'm the one hogging our dear alpha, not the other way around.”  
Her teasing call earned them a round of grumbling and teasing calls, calls that told them everyone was out there waiting for them.  
“I guess we should join them before they decide to join us.”  
The teasing quip made Emelie huff at Takeshi before rolling to the edge of their oversized bed.  
“I guess. The girls don't need to see your naked ass any more than they already do.”  
“Can we keep your ass naked at least?”  
The teasing comeback earned him a glare, then she broke into a brilliant smile as she walked toward the door to her dressing room with a distinct swing to her hips that made him groan.  
“Tease...”  
He did get up though and grabbed the light silk robe that hung on a hook next to the door to his own walk in closet.

“Mommy!”  
“Happy birthday!”  
“Happy birthday Em!”  
“Happy birthday Alpha.”  
_“Grattis Em!”_

The chorus of voices that met them as they stepped out into their own little garden had Em breaking into a mess of laughing and crying as she received hugs, birthday wishes, and a selection of small gifts that she handed to Takeshi once opened so she would have her hands free.  
“I have a surprise for you down in the garden.”  
Dan handed her a small token gift that she quickly opened and the confused looks on everyone's faces when they saw the brightly colored paper lantern had Dan and Emelie laughing, there was clearly a hidden meaning to the odd gift.  
_“Kräftskiva!”  
_The happy exclamation told Takeshi what was going on, Dan had apparently prepared a crawfish party for Emelie, they did share a love for the clawed mudbugs.  
He watched in amusement as Emelie gave Dan a proper smooch before pouncing at Knight and demanding he carry her down to the inner garden.  
“Of course my Lady Lilim. It is my pleasure to serve the blood of the progenitor.”  
Knight's teasing words were followed by a rather loud yelp as she sank her teeth into his ear in reprimand for calling her _Lady Lilim_.

As the others left Takeshi noticed the slightly dazed look on Dan's face.  
”Enjoyed that did you?”  
For a moment Dan looked almost shy, then he broke into an impish smile and nodded.  
“Of course, what guy wouldn't enjoy getting kissed by a drop dead gorgeous woman, who also happens to be a really awesome person?”  
“And how about this?”  
Takeshi leaned in and kissed him softly, earning himself a quivering sigh.  
“Don't think anything can beat being kissed by the guy you love, who also happens to be a serious hottie...”  
The reply made Takeshi laugh, and change the subject.  
“So, how did you manage to sneak a crawfish boil under our noses?”  
Takeshi had no doubt that Dan had boiled the critters himself, and done so following the Swedish recipe with lots of aromatic, fresh, dill flowers.  
“Remember how the winds have been blowing the past week?”  
“Mhm.”  
“I had Logan help me boil them up at his place, the wind took the scent out over the sea. And I ordered live crawfish to Honolulu and had Angel use that new cargo drone to carry the crate with the fresh crawfish from Honolulu.”  
“Good thinking.”  
“I did end up spending quite a bit more money than intended though... Wanted to make sure they arrived nice and healthy so I hired an air courier with a private plane.”  
“Don't worry, have Angel transfer the shipping cost from one of my accounts. It's after all my fault that getting fresh crawfish at a normal cost is pretty much impossible.”  
“It's okay, you pay me plenty enough to afford that, I barely spend any of my money anyway.”  
Takeshi allowed the topic to drop, but he would ask Angel to make the transfer anyway.  
“Come on, let's go join the others”.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

August 8th 2043

“Faster Manda!”  
Takeshi was sparring with Amanda and he was pushing her without mercy, using every trick he knew, combining his lightning fast transformations with his extensive knowledge of martial arts to push her to the edge of exhaustion.  
When she finally collapsed her eyes were glazed over and her fangs elongated, he had made sure to drain her spiritual energy to cause her thirst to peak.  
“Control it!”  
_“So thirsty...”_  
Her voice carried the haunting tones of her siren's song as she instinctively tried to snare him but a sharp tug on the bond and a flare of his more dominant energy shattered the effect.  
_“Eriko, it's your turn.”_  
He watched as Eriko approached Amanda and offered her arm to her, they needed to get Amanda to accept blood other than his or that of the pack since she still needed to feed every few days, the fruits that the Mother had made for her did keep her from starving, but she needed to feed on real blood to stay strong and grow properly.

“ _Come on you stubborn little fry.”_  
Eriko's muttered complaints in Japanese as she tried to coax Amanda into biting almost made Takeshi laugh despite the situation.  
He hated denying Amanda the blood she needed, and wanted, so desperately, but they had to soldier through it or she would never learn and that could cause her a lot of suffering since all those she accepted would be leaving and the twins were too young to help her.  
“Take-san, could you come here for a moment? I have an idea that might work.”  
When he walked up to Eriko she took his hand and used a claw to prick his finger before smearing a few drops of his blood on her wrist, hoping that the scent of his blood would be enough to make Amanda bite.  
Much to their relief it did work, though she seemed a bit startled when the blood was not what she had expected and for a moment they feared she would spit it out but in the end her instinct to feed was stronger and she took Eriko's blood.

“I'm sorry we had to put you through that.”  
Takeshi soothed Amanda as she rested curled into his lap.  
“It's okay. I know it has to be done. It just feels so wrong to take blood from someone outside the pack.”  
“We knew from the start that there would be some issues mixing your instincts with the bond of pack.”  
Everything they knew about Merfolk told of extreme loyalty to their chosen, of absolute monogamy once mated, to the point of being incapable of being with anyone but their mate, something Takeshi hoped Amanda was _other_ enough not to be subject to.  
He had been gradually falling in love with her, and if she one day became his mate he didn't want her to be unable to seek comfort with others.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

September 3rd 2043

“Good morning Manda! Ready for your sweet 16?”  
Takeshi had barely finished speaking before Amanda had bounced out of bed and gotten dressed in record time.  
“Of course!”  
“Come here, I have a special gift for you.”  
When she stood in front of him he brought out the black and red _Bagua_ pendant that he and Kiryu had worked on crafting from dragonstone and imbue with dragon-magic.  
“It's dragonstone, like Em's pendant.”  
She quickly identified the material.  
“Indeed, but this one is different. Hers was made to give a measure of protection from demon-magic when we leave for the Obsidian Halls, this one contains dragon-magic to help you get a feel for it, to help you learn it. If you are to come with us to Atlantis when we return you need to practice hard and this will let Kiryu help you even when we are not there.”  
He was well prepared for the crushing hug but that didn't stop him from making some mock complaints.  
“Also, I will teach you how to enter the dreamscape, with that Bagua she will be able to find you and pull you into her own dreamscape so that she can teach you the basics in there.”  
“Where it won't matter if I accidentally blow something up?”  
“That too. But most of all, a single night in there can be stretched into months of training.”  
Amanda turned it over in her hand and carefully let her aura wash over it, prodding and probing.  
“The black is Kiryu-sama and the red is you, right?”  
“That's right. Though, since she will be teaching you the proper honorific would be sensei, sama works of course but a teacher should be addressed as sensei.”  
“Okay, could you thank Kiryu- _sensei_ for me please?”  
“Why don't you do that yourself? Use the Bagua and reach out with your mind, she should be able to hear you, and answer.”

When they joined the others for breakfast an hour later Amanda had figured out how to speak to the dragon and she was looking forward to the promised evening, practicing to try to reach the dreamscape without the aid of dream-essence.  
Takeshi wasn't concerned about the effects of using dream-essence in her case, but it would be better if it wasn't needed.  
“Manda, I have a little something for you.”  
She looked rather surprised when Eriko approached her after breakfast and gave her a small box that contained a simple bracelet.  
“It's pretty, but the power in it, what does it do?”  
“It's an illusion charm. What fun is a sweet 16 party if you look like 25? Though, it won't change your height, a true transformation takes a bit more power and would be very draining for you to maintain.”  
“Not like it matters, everyone knows I look older than I am.”  
“On the island yes, but not in LA...”  
Takeshi piped up behind her, finally revealing her surprise party.  
With the modifications of the second Blackout completed they were now able to travel fast with the entire group.  
Takeshi's words were met by a shriek worthy of any banshee as she threw herself around his neck for the second time that day before giving Eriko the same treatment.  
“And Manda will still look like Manda to us!”  
The twins piped up, just like with Takeshi's illusion bracelet those of the island would be able to see through the changes.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

December 24 2043

They had given in to Emelie's and Dan's insistence on doing Christmas on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas Day, it was how it was done in their native Sweden and the girls gladly agreed on moving it a day earlier, though, Takeshi had a special gift planned for them that would be waiting for them on Christmas morning.  
Each of the girls would receive a bracelet made from the same dragonstone mixed with blood-stone made from his blood that Emelie's and Amanda's pendants were made from, it carried a small piece of his power and they would be able to feel that.  
Each bracelet had the same design, a red crystal bangle and within it a black dragon coiled around the arm.  
Eriko would be given a _K_ _ō_ _gai_ kanzashi and for Matthews he had crafted a small hip flask that contained some of his blood that had been enchanted, if Matthews chose to drink it, it would change him, make him one of the Blessed.  
Though it was bound to him so it would only work on him, if anyone else drank it, it would heal any injuries or sickness but it wouldn't change them.  
He had worked with Knight to make his in order to make it integrate with the bracers that held his armor and in the end they had been able to make it so that he could choose their normal look, or a a pair of heavy dragon bangles and it was with a touch of pride that Takeshi noticed that he usually wore them in their bangle form, proudly displaying the dragons.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

December 31 2043

“You were right, this place is amazing!”  
Jenna sat at Takeshi's side just outside the entrance of one of the tunnels that led to the den of Amarok's pack and looked up at the spectacular display above them, the _Aurora Borealis_ , northern lights, were unusually bright and Takeshi had a feeling the Mother had something to do with it, giving them her own version of a New Years fireworks show.  
“Nothing quite like Mother Nature's own fireworks, is there? Those over there should turn blue and purple soon, close to the horizon.”  
Dan leaned in over their shoulders and pointed their attention to a section of at the side.  
“How did you know?”  
Amanda questioned with wonder from Knight's lap but before Dan could answer Emelie piped up from her spot in Takeshi's lap.  
“He grew up in northern Sweden, and I happen to know he was in an astronomy club so he probably watched them a lot.”  
“Hey, how did you know that?”  
Takeshi tuned out the friendly bickering that followed and instead turned his attention to the other girls to make sure they were not getting chilled since there was no fire lit to keep the light from ruining the show of nature.  
Between warm clothes and being crowded by the pack of wolves they were doing fine though and the twins were having a blast roughhousing with last spring's pups so Takeshi just leaned back and watched the colorful display, shifting slightly when Dan took a seat on the opposite side of Jenna and curled into his side.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

March 6 2044

Takeshi leaned in over Dan's sleeping form and gently dragged his fangs along the pack mark to wake him up.  
“Good morning sleepyhead, or maybe I should say good day, it's past noon.”  
Dan instantly bolted out of bed at those words.  
“Damn, why did you let me sleep so late?”  
“You were rather exhausted...”  
The vivid blush made Takeshi chuckle as he handed Dan the small box with his birthday present.  
“Another crystal coin... Didn't I just use this year's _getaway_?”  
“Wouldn't be much of a point with them if you were only allowed one every year, now would it?”  
Removing the inner lid of the box revealed a set of men's jewelry that looked like the ones he was wearing, but he could tell that the materials were different, all pieces were crafted from the same mix of crystallized blood as the items the others had received.  
“These items, you explained that they offer protection and that they should offer comfort by allowing us to feel a piece of your aura like we are used to, but they have darker purpose as well, don't they?”  
“They do.”  
Takeshi confirmed calmly.  
“If you don't return they will allow us to keep a fragment of you to remember you by...”  
Takeshi didn't answer him, instead he just leaned in and kissed away the tears that were flowing freely.  
Dan had accepted that the trip to find Emelie's father was something that had to be done, but that didn't mean it didn't scare him, the thought of losing Takeshi had him terrified.  
“Promise me Dan, that if we don't make it back you will protect the girls, body mind and soul.”  
“Of course, I promise. They are my family too, my pack...”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

 

June 2044

Takeshi flexed the large claws of his borrowed bear form and tossed another salmon toward the bank where the girls were eagerly waiting to help Amarok take care of the catch, the skeins of roe were quickly put aside while the innards were tossed to the waiting wolves and was soon followed by skin and bones after the fish had been skinned and filleted.  
Bringing everyone for the great salmon run had proved to be an excellent idea and everyone was having a great time helping to catch and prepare the fish to be smoked and dried.  
Takeshi made sure to secure a few of the roe skeins to cure into _ikura_ so he could make _gunkanmaki_ , _Nigirizushi_ wrapped with nori into a boat shape and filled with various chopped or otherwise loose or soft fillings that would not stay on a regular _nigirizushi_.

A sudden shriek made Takeshi look toward the calm bend where Jenna had been helping Knight's steed to catch fish and the sight made him laugh so hard he almost dropped the skein of roe he was working on.  
Jenna was sitting in the water trying to keep her grip on a large salmon while loudly accusing the demon horse of intentionally knocking her over, and the way it's aura rippled with amusement confirmed her accusations to be true.  
No doubt it was trying to help it's chosen rider to get Jenna out of her clothes and with some luck, into his bed.  
Takeshi had noticed that Knight had a very _healthy appetite_ when it came to sex, on top of the nights they both spent with Emelie he would regularly spend nights with Dan, though he knew they didn't actually have sex, they just enjoyed the physical closeness.  
Kasumi would occasionally let herself be enticed into joining him as well, taking the opportunity to find release with someone she knew had no ulterior motives for being intimate with her.  
Knight would try with Jenna and Amanda as well, but so far he wasn't having much luck, Jenna would turn him down cold pretty fast, and though Amanda did allow, and even encourage, some of his advances she never actually _slept_ with him and Takeshi almost felt sorry for the big guy, _almost_.

“ **Logan!** If you don't get your blasted horse to knock it off I will personally make sure you won't have any reason to try to get me, or anyone else, in bed ever again!”  
The threat was instantly answered by a sharp whistle and the large demon backed up a few steps and hung its head while Jenna scolded it, but true to her nature she didn't stay angry very long and soon she reached up to scratch the hard to reach spot just behind the large center horn and between the pair of small horns that grew back over its neck.  
It was a sure way to get the giant to mellow and rather than using it's tail to try to scratch the spot it would even allow Takeshi and Dan to scratch it when the itch got bad.  
Takeshi watched as it took a smaller fish that Jenna offered, careful not to hurt her with its fangs and the interactions between them made Takeshi even more determined to change Jenna, and hopefully claim her as pack, he knew Knight would agree wholeheartedly, as would Emelie and he didn't think any of the others would object either.  
Dan would probably feel a bit insecure about it, but he absolutely adored her and wouldn't object.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

September 2nd 2044

Takeshi gently nipped at Amanda's neck to wake her up, it was time to get dressed and prepare to enter Brazilian waters and by afternoon they would dock in Rio de Janeiro for her birthday.  
He might not be able to make it back from Iceland before her next birthday and there was a very real risk that it might not make it back at all, so he had taken the Tiamat and brought her on a cruise to Rio and would spend the weekend there before heading back to their island.

It was a bit of a risky choice though, Brazil suffered rampant crime rates and most countries advised caution when traveling there and to stay within the secured hotel areas and private beaches.  
Traveling into the city of Rio was advised against outside of the big carnival in February when massive police and military operations took place to safeguard the tourist areas around the main parade.  
Takeshi didn't worry about that though, Amanda's fighting skills had grown rapidly and the speed with which she had learned to use dragon magic was nothing short of astounding.  
He actually found himself hoping that they would get into a fight with some local thugs or small gang, it would give an opportunity to test her abilities under relatively safe conditions as he would be able to make short work of them if she couldn't handle it.  
It would also offer an opportunity to see how she would react to seeing him truly fight, maybe even kill.  
So far everyone had had rather interesting reactions, both Dan and Knight had reacted with intense desire, though where Knight's reaction had been physical Dan's had been emotional, even Emelie's lack of reaction had been interesting in it's own way.

He had gotten his wish sooner than expected as a pair of men entered their cab to try to take them for the _Millionaire tour_ , a tour to the local ATM's to max out their credit cards, unfortunately for the kidnappers they chose to start their tour in one of the favelas, giving Amanda and Takeshi a golden opportunity to fight them without needing to worry about legal repercussions.  
In the end it wasn't without collateral damage as Takeshi found himself picking an infant girl from the arms of her dead mother, the woman, barely more than a girl had been killed by a stray bullet and no one would step forward to take care of the little girl so Takeshi decided to keep her.

“She is so young. How are we supposed to take care of her? She needs to be breastfed.”  
Amanda was concerned about her age, but Takeshi was more concerned about how weak the infant was, she was clearly malnourished.  
“Eriko should be able to solve that, kitsune are known to adopt human infants, their females able to lactate at will. And even if she can't I'm sure the Mother would aid in creating a formula that would give her everything she needs.”  
Takeshi picked up his phone and quickly found Knight's number, the current distance between them was too great to allow for actual conversations over the bond.  
“Don't worry beta, we are fine. But we have someone here that could use some help. Can your steed locate us?”  
Knight had been somewhat concerned to receive the call but quickly settled down.  
“Of course, he knows you so he can find you anywhere within this realm.”  
“Good, I need you to bring Eriko to me, it's urgent.”  
It only took a few minutes before the telltale fog appeared and the moment Eriko spotted them she jumped down and grabbed the infant.  
Looking her over she tutted with a frown, obviously displeased with what she found.

“What's wrong with her?”  
Amanda's concern was obvious as she tried to get a closer look at what Eriko was doing with the baby girl.  
“She is weak from starvation, but worry not, her spirit and soul is strong. I'm sure she will recover nicely.”  
Knight watched with an appreciative smirk as Eriko released the top of her kimono slightly to allow the girl to nurse, it had only taken her a few minutes to alter her body and produce the milk she needed.  
“Logan, you better keep those eyes in _respectful_ places or she might just use you as a chew-toy, foxes get a bit _grumpy_ while nursing.”  
“Most demons do, either that, or they will jump your bones for an entirely different reason...”

Takeshi waited for Eriko to finish feeding the baby before approaching her.  
“Eriko, do I have your word that you will take care of this girl?”  
“Yes.”  
Her answer was short but Takeshi could feel the power of a geas take form, with that single word she had sworn on her tails, the strongest oath a kitsune could give.  
“She is Takara and she is mine.”  
“Agreed.”  
The girl herself was Eriko's payment for accepting Takeshi's request and he was more than happy to agree.  
After the exchange of promises Eriko simply mounted the steed and waited for Knight to join her and take her back to their island estate.

“ _Will she be okay?”  
“Eriko will give everything she has to save that child, she couldn't be in better hands.”_  
They had borrowed the forms of a pair of macaw in order to return to the finer parts of the city and Takeshi noted that Amanda was doing really well with her flying.  
Once back they continued with Amanda's party before retiring to the Tiamat for the night, though Takeshi doubted they would do much sleeping...

“Take, I love you.”  
Curled into his side her voice was barely a whisper, but she knew he would hear her, he always did.  
_“Wakarimasu.”  
_His response surprised her a bit, its meaning was the same _I know_ as always but the way he said it was different, when he answered in Japanese he had always used _Wakaru yo_ and his tone would be teasing, almost smug.  
His tone now was soft and along with his choice of words it made it sad, apologetic and it almost made her cry.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Sudan February 2045

Takeshi was uncharacteristically nervous as he set the Blackout down outside the small tribal village.  
It would be the first time he met Sarisha and their children since the death of their youngest daughter and he was unsure how he would be received.  
Sarisha had asked him not to seek her out, that she would seek him out when she was ready, but due to the risk of the upcoming task he felt that he needed to visit her and tell her as well as give each of his children a piece of the same dragonstone that he had given the others.  
Twelve years was a long time to not see your children, but he had respected her wish and he hoped that she would meet with him and allow him to see the children.  
He waited for three days before spotting the black sabre-toothed leopard approach the Blackout, she had finally accepted his request to speak to her.

“ _Why are you here? You promised me time!”  
“I'm sorry. But I needed to speak with you before seeking out the Obsidian Halls. If we find what we are looking for we will be meeting immensely powerful beings, and they might not be friendly.”  
_She calmed down some, but she refused to take her human form, she had taken their daughter's death very hard, complications around pregnancies were exceptionally rare among the blessed.  
It was easier for her to handle her grief in her animal form, relying more on instinct than she normally would.  
_“I was hoping you would allow me to see the children, and bring them, and you, a gift.”_  
He brought out the red and black egg-shaped stones, each would change their form to suit its new owner.  
_“They each hold a fragment of me so that my children may know me if I fail to return. It will also let those of my pack that stay behind know who you are.”_  
She didn't answer him, and honestly he didn't expect her to, he was a bit surprised that she had spoken at all.  
After a few minutes she let out a gruff call, the loud huffs sounding almost like a mix between a growl and a roar and soon all eight cubs came running, she had explained with their first litter that they would stay almost exclusively in their beast form for their first century and that they would slowly grow from cubs to juveniles in that time.  
_“Thank you Sarisha. You are a pride to any pack, and you bring honor to the Sabers.”_  
He spent the day playing with the cubs under her watchful eye and as evening came he gave them their gifts before heading back to the Blackout, and home to his own pack.  
Just as he was about to board the plane he felt Sarisha approach him and brush against his leg so he sat down to see what she wanted and the moment he was seated she placed her head into his lap, seeking closeness and reassurance, something he gladly gave her.  
“It was not your fault sweetie.”  
He carefully leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on top of the snout before settling back and running his hand over her head, he fully intended to stay that way for as long as she would let him, it was quickly becoming obvious that his acceptance was something she needed to help her move on in her grief, to know he didn't blame her for the loss of their daughter.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Preparations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

May 2045

It was finally time to head to Iceland and Dimmuborgir and the entire estate was somewhat subdued as Takeshi, Emelie and Knight brought the final items to the Blackout before turning to the others to say their goodbyes.  
Most of those living at the estate handled it pretty well, but those of the pack that would be staying behind were having a hard time.  
The twins had taken their puppy form and were whining, whimpering and howling their worry and sadness, Dan was tense and silent but he was handling it surprisingly well, setting aside his own worries in order to be the pillar the pack would need.  
There were plenty of hugs, kisses and tears mixed with wished of safe travel and good fortune with their task.

When the others finally stepped back Amanda stepped forward and said her goodbyes to Emelie and Knight before burrowing her face against Takeshi's chest, letting her tears flow freely.  
“I love you Take.”  
She whispered against his chest and he leaned in and kissed her forehead as he whispered his answer before letting go and boarding the Blackout without looking back.

They watched the Blackout take of and when the others returned inside Amanda was still standing by the landing-pad, tears flowing freely from wide eyes, frozen in chock.  
His parting words, whispered words she had never even dared dream of hearing, were loudly echoing within her soul.

“ _Aishiteru.”_

“Manda, are you okay?”  
Long after the Blackout was out of sight Amanda was still standing silent by the landing pad so Dan decided to check on her.  
“He... He...”  
“Oh, he finally told you how he feels did he?”  
She nodded silently, then spun around with tears in her eyes.  
“I'm so sorry...”  
“Don't be, it was pretty obvious he loves you.”  
“But you...”  
“I love him too, yes. But I'm pretty sure he feels the same, even if he's not. But don't tell him that.”  
Dan's words made her laugh and promise she wouldn't and together they walked up to the house where the others were waiting.

 


End file.
